


a little touch of heavenly light

by Aziraphales (arka_r)



Series: Human Gabriel AU [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Body Image, Caring Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crying Gabriel (Good Omens), Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Food, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Good Person Gabriel (Good Omens), Human Gabriel (Good Omens), Islamic References, M/M, Nice Gabriel (Good Omens), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Gabriel (Good Omens), Post-Almost Apocalypse (Good Omens), Protective Aziraphale (Good Omens), Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Sad Gabriel (Good Omens), Slow Burn, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-11-15 07:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20862248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Aziraphales
Summary: Gabriel is adjusting to be a human. But when an old acquaintance interrupted his jogging, he has his world being turned upside-down once again.Not that he's really complaining.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> beta'd by [SaerM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaerM)
> 
> title is from Florence and the Machine 'Breath of Life' 
> 
> _I was looking for a breath of life_  
A little touch of heavenly light  
But all the choirs in my head sang no

Rain had unexpectedly started to fall when Gabriel was halfway to his flat, starting with light rain before turning into a full blown downpour. He had forgotten to bring an umbrella and, as a result, he was soaked from head to toe. 

Gabriel hated being wet from the rain. It made his accursed human body shiver from the chills. He knew it was not that cold — he assumed it would only get worse in the winter — but he couldn’t help it.

As soon as he reached his flat, he immediately stripped out of his wet clothes and dropped them in the laundry basket by the bathroom door, before slinking into the cramped shower stall. Turning on the tap, he let warm water wash over his body. He groaned, and let his eyes fall shut. 

Bless whoever invented the water heater.

It had been three months since he had become a human — three slow months that felt like forever. Slowly but surely, he was beginning to get the hang of it, as the humans from the House of St. Barnabas would say.

Claiming that he remembered nothing but his own name, it had been easy to gain their sympathy. He didn’t even have to lie, they had presumed everything all by themselves when they interviewed him. They thought he had sustained some kind of memory loss and were happy to help him. 

They had been helpful in teaching him all about human stuff, from doing basic chores like preparing his own food to using public transportation (which Gabriel was still extremely wary of). They even helped him to get his own job so that he could earn human currency (they called it money), which could be exchanged into food, clothes, a place to live, and other objects.

That wasn’t to say it was easy living as a human, no. It was hard; one could say that it was  _ hellish _ . He was no longer immortal, and his body was so extremely  _ frail _ that there were literally  _ millions _ of ways for him to die if he wasn’t careful enough. If he forgot to eat, he would starve and die. If he forgot to rest, he would get exhausted and die. If he never exercised, he would get all sorts of illnesses and die. That wasn’t counting traffic accidents and lightning strikes.

Yes, turned out, humans could die when they were struck by lightning. Who knew?

All those hardships just to stay  _ alive, _ and that wasn’t even taking into account the daily struggle. He had a job at a supermarket as an assistant manager. It reminded him a bit of his job back at the Head Office, except instead of dealing with annoying angels, now he dealt with annoying humans who thought they knew better than him. 

That was, basically, how he found out that he had the capacity to rage.

After a certain incident involving nearly two hundred kilos of bagged rice and a broken neck (not his own, thankfully), Gabriel was assigned a therapist for his ‘issues’. And, oh boy, did he have  _ a lot _ of issues.

Once his body had warmed up considerably, Gabriel turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He dried off and dressed in comfortable shirt, before pulling out the box of salad he’d brought from work earlier.

He ate by the window and watched the rain pouring down from the sky. It seemed that autumn had truly arrived, bringing heavy rain and mist to the area — which meant he wouldn’t be able to jog as often.

He was feeling rather cooped up, and there was something like an itch for him to go out there and run to his heart’s content. He would actually jog in the rain, had he not been worried about getting sick.

_ Oh well… _

He really hoped the weather would clear up soon. 

—

Thankfully, the weather did clear up the next day. The sun was shining, if a bit weakly, and Gabriel used the occasion to jog in the park.

He had always loved jogging, but he found that he loved it even more now that he was a human. Back when he was an angel, he had done it simply because he loved it, loved the burning in his legs and the beat of his heart inside his chest. It was a marvel to feel, a novelty. He hadn’t needed to jog to keep his corporation healthy; it was something like an indulgence, one that he had allowed himself to have.

Now that he was a human, he did it because it kept his body and mind healthy, because it was one thing that he could control.

Perhaps he also had control issues. Oh well.

As he ran, he passed other joggers and park-goers. He paid them no mind and he kept on jogging down the track provided. His mind was focused on the single task of putting one foot in front of another, over and over and over, and—

“Gabriel, wait!”

A familiar voice called out to him, and Gabriel turned, still running — albeit slower now. That was when he found Aziraphale, running alongside him and trying to match his steps — to no avail. Gabriel stopped, out of courtesy, and Aziraphale stumbled to a halt next to him. He bent over, huffing and puffing, and his cheeks red from exertion.

“You…” A huff. “… run so fast…” Another huff.

“Aziraphale”, Gabriel said in a complete deadpan. “You’re an angel. You don’t need to breathe.”

“Yes, I’m aware”, Aziraphale said as he straightened up, hands on his hips. “It’s a habit, you see.”

“And you can outrun me if you want to”, Gabriel pointed out.

Aziraphale’s eyes widening, as if he had never considered that before. Gabriel rolled his eyes.  _ Heaven help him… _

“What do you want? Are you going to gloat?” he asked, feeling anger spike inside him.

“I don’t— What?” Aziraphale sputtered. “I just… I want to know, you know, how you’re doing.”

“Well, I’m doing just fine”, Gabriel growled, before closing his eyes and taking a deep, deep breath. It didn’t feel good, feeling angry. It made him feel on edge, made him want to lash out to everyone and everything. It made him want to run, to leave Aziraphale behind.

“You’re angry”, Aziraphale said. Gabriel opened his eyes, and he found the angel still standing in front of him.

Gabriel gave him a Look.

Aziraphale stared back at him.

Gabriel sighed.

“Humans called it ‘anger issues’”, he told Aziraphale. “Apparently, being cast out suddenly without so much as a warning gives you plenty to be angry about.”

“Are you angry at Her?” Aziraphale asked. “At the Almighty?”

“You’re not my therapist”, Gabriel answered sharply.

“Does your therapist know you used to be an angel?” Aziraphale asked again.

Gabriel shut his mouth with a click. She  _ didn’t _ . He had followed what that blasted demon Crowley told him about not telling anyone . So, no, no-one knew about that past of his. His therapist just kind of assumed that he’d been cast out by family members after he’d lost his memories, and that it had caused the anger to fester inside him.

She didn’t know how close she was to the truth.

“What do you want?” Gabriel repeated, eyes narrowing. Instead of fidgeting like Gabriel had expected him to, Aziraphale straightened up.

“Come to the bookshop sometime”, Aziraphale said.

That was not what he had expected Aziraphale to say.

“I thought you hated me”, Gabriel blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Perhaps I did”, Aziraphale said. “But I gave it some thought, and… well. Perhaps I did hate your guts, and perhaps we started off on the wrong foot. But I can’t deny the fact that you don’t deserve what happened to you.”

“It’s…” Gabriel didn’t know what to say.

“If you say ineffable, I will stop you right there”, Aziraphale said, and Gabriel could detect a hint of humor in his voice.

“I was going to say it’s what I deserve”, Gabriel said, his shoulders sagging. He didn’t know why he was telling Aziraphale this, but it felt good to talk to someone who knew about his past.

“Were you now?” Aziraphale asked.

“I tried to execute you. Without a trial”, Gabriel said, looking down to his feet. Shame was an unfamiliar feeling, and it bloomed inside his stomach like some kind of malignant flower.

“I survived it and you were punished for it. Water under the bridge, as the humans say” Aziraphale said. “Now, let me tell you this, Gabriel: I forgive you.”

Gabriel felt his eyes burn, and his throat tightened up. What was happening to his body now? The sensation was new, and he had never felt anything like this before.

“I forgive you”, Aziraphale repeated. “Now, do me a favor, and forgive yourself.”

Tears fell from his eyes, down to his cheeks, but Gabriel felt lighter than ever.

—

The next evening, Gabriel found himself standing in front of Aziraphale’s bookshop.

The sign said that it was closed, and it caused Gabriel to hesitate. Sure, Aziraphale had invited him to come to the bookshop, but did that mean to come during the business hour or after? He didn’t know what the rules were here. He’d never had anyone inviting him into their house before.

He was spared from further rumination when the bookshop door opened with a tinkle and Aziraphale showed up at the door, smiling brightly at him.

“You’ve been standing here for ten minutes. Do you want to come in?” the plump angel asked.

“Well… you’re the one who invited me”, Gabriel returned with an awkward smile.

“That I did”, Aziraphale said. “Come on in, then. It’s rather chilly outside, don’t you think?”

It was, but Gabriel thought he was sufficiently dressed for the weather.

When he’d received his first pay, Gabriel had been delighted to find that he had enough money to buy some new clothes — all his clothes then had been donated by other people. Sure, it was not the expensive suit he used to wear, back when he was still an Archangel; the clothes he preferred as of late were of the kind comfortable enough for daily wear. But he thought he still looked rather good in them. 

Right now, he was wearing purplish-grey knitted jumper with a woolen scarf and comfortable pants. When he entered Aziraphale’s bookshop, he took off his scarf and hung it on the rack.

“Would you like hot cocoa or something else?” Aziraphale asked, and it threw Gabriel for a bit of a loop. 

“Something else…?” he asked, confused.

“Have you tried alcohol before?” Aziraphale asked.

“No, I haven’t”, Gabriel answered honestly. He had been curious about alcohol. Humans seemed to enjoy it to the point of inebriation, but Gabriel couldn’t imagine why one would want to lose control of themselves like that.

“Oh, you’re in for a treat, then”, Aziraphale wiggled happily, before disappearing into the back room of the bookshop, leaving Gabriel alone.

Well, not entirely alone. Only now he realized that there was a large black snake curling on the couch. Gabriel stared at it for a long awkward moment. The snake stared back.

“Uhh, Aziraphale?” he called out. “Why is there a snake on your couch?”

Was this normal? He knew that humans often kept animals as pets in their house, but Aziraphale was not a human. Had he picked up the hobby somehow? That seemed likely, seeing how Aziraphale was rather fond of human stuff.

“What? A snake?” Aziraphale asked back as he returned with a bottle of alcohol, three long-stemmed glasses, and a dark brown box. Gabriel pointed at the snake on the couch, and Aziraphale sighed tiredly.

“Oh. Crowley,  _ please _ ”, he tutted.

Without warning, the snake turned into a human-like figure splaying on the couch. Crowley smirked at Gabriel, eyes glinting mischievously before he covered it up with his usual sunglasses. It wasn’t until that moment that Gabriel realized he’d been eye-to-eye with the infamous Serpent of Eden.

“Sorry, angel. You know me, can’t resist pulling the ex-angel’s leg”, Crowley said.

“Pulling my leg…?” Gabriel asked confusedly. Sure, Crowley had made him incredibly confused (and perhaps a little bit afraid), but he wasn’t touching him at all.

“Play nice”, Aziraphale tutted, placing a kiss on Crowley’s cheek, before cautiously placing the dark brown box on the side table. He then poured dark red liquid into the glasses, and handed Crowley and Gabriel a glass each.

Gabriel accepted the glass with a thanks, and tactfully said nothing else. Instead, he busied himself with staring at the rich red liquid inside his glass. It smelled sweet, cloyingly so.

Oh well. He wouldn’t find out what the fuss was about if he didn’t taste it first.

He was about to take a swig of his drink when Aziraphale stopped him with a yell.

“You  _ don’t _ drink wine like you would drink water! What is wrong with you?” Aziraphale sounded scandalized. Meanwhile, Crowley was laughing his head off, and Gabriel flushed in embarrassment.

In his defense, he never drank anything but water and coffee.

“You need to drink it in small sips, Gabe. Might want to savor it”, Crowley said, before taking a swig of his own wine. Gabriel gave him a Look, and Crowley returned it with a chuckle. “Yeah, here’s the thing with that human body of yours: it gets drunk way easier than someone like yours truly, an ordinary demon.”

Well, that was just unfair. 

Gingerly, he took a small sip of the drink (wine, Aziraphale had called it?) and found that his guess was right. The wine was sweet, and there was a hint of something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

“If you like, I have some chocolates to go with it”, Aziraphale offered, plucking a piece of chocolate from the dark brown box on the side table.

Gabriel was familiar with chocolate, both as food and as beverage, but he never once had tried it. He’d read that it was unhealthy and could cause his teeth to rot — and he rather liked his teeth, thank you very much.

“What? Please don’t tell me you’ve never tried chocolate either?” Aziraphale asked, incredulous. He looked like he was mere seconds away from discorporation, and it made Gabriel actually worry.

“They’re rather unhealthy, aren’t they?” Gabriel tried to reason.

“It’s not unhealthy, unless you eat in excess”, Aziraphale sounded indignant. “So unless you plan to eat the whole box in one go, I don’t see the problem with indulging a little.”

Gabriel thought he and Aziraphale had a rather different opinion about indulgence. He knew that Aziraphale loved to indulge in food, even though his corporeal form didn’t actually need it. But Gabriel did not; food was a means of survival, a way to keep his now-human body healthy. Indulging himself in food that could be unhealthy sounded counterproductive to that.

“Go on, then. Take one and see if you like it”, Aziraphale prodded, his smile teasing, and before Gabriel realized what had happened, he reached over to the box and plucked one of the chocolates from it.

He popped it into his mouth and when he bit into it, he felt something gooey melt onto his tongue. It was sweet, with bitter aftertaste to it, and he could see why Aziraphale would enjoy the sensation. It was odd, but not at all unpleasant. In fact, it was actually… good?

Gabriel let out a moan, and then realized what he’d just done. He stared at Aziraphale, wide-eyed, and flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m glad that you enjoyed it”, Aziraphale smiled reassuringly. “Try washing it down with the wine. It tastes absolutely exquisite, I promise.”

Gabriel did as he was told, and found that Aziraphale was right.

“It’s good”, Gabriel said. Aziraphale gave him a smile that was bright and blinding.

“So, how’s being a human treating you?” Crowley asked with a smirk.

“ _ Crowley! _ ” Aziraphale chided.

“It’s alright. It’s…” Gabriel didn’t know how to answer that. It wasn’t like he had other options aside from being human. “It has its ups and downs, I suppose”, he settled diplomatically.

“Crowley told me he introduced you to, ah… a homeless shelter?” Aziraphale asked.

“He did”, Gabriel said, before turning to Crowley. “I was… grateful that you did.”

It felt odd thanking a demon, but said demon did save him from a life of homelessness. He’d had no one to turn to and nowhere else to go, back then, and look at him now. Now, he had a place to stay and a job.

“Cheers”, Crowley said and raised his glass, before downing its content in one gulp. Gabriel took that as a cue to take another sip of his wine.

“You seem rather well-adjusted, if you don’t mind me saying. How’s your job treating you?” Aziraphale asked.

Something went off inside Gabriel’s head.

“I never told you about my job”, he said. That was not a question.

Aziraphale’s eyes widened and he squirmed in his seat. Gabriel stared at him and waited. Awkward silence hung between them.

“I… ah. Used a bit of a miracle to help you get a job?” Aziraphale said with a sheepish smile. “And that flat of yours too, I suppose.”

“Are you—”  _ God _ , Gabriel couldn’t believe this. “Aziraphale, are you  _ stalking _ me?!”

Crowley burst out laughing. Gabriel eyed him, before glaring back at Aziraphale.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing!” Aziraphale cried out in genuine distress. “You were so helpless back then. I thought, ‘Oh Lord, he won’t make it without a job and a place to live.’ So I thought, what was the harm? I was supposed to help humanity, and… well, you’re a human!”

Gabriel could feel his head spin. He’d thought it was rather convenient that a job that required his skills was open right at the moment he was ready to work, and a flat close to his workplace was suddenly available when he started looking for a place to live. But he hadn’t given it further thought.

“Yep, he did that”, Crowley pointed out. “Oh, and by the way, that one time you decked that bastard boss of yours? That was my work.”

“ _ You! _ ” Gabriel growled, standing up. “I had to go to a therapist for that!”

“Was it that bad, though? You needed that therapist, and don’t you dare to deny it”, Crowley said with a smirk.

“Well… yes, but…” Gabriel sighed, before slumping back into the couch. He couldn’t believe this. How could he not notice their work?  _ God _ . “I can’t believe this. Is this what being a human is like? Do I have to second-guess my every decision in case either one of you two are whispering in my ears, telling me what to do?”

“Well, I suppose?” Crowley sounded amused at this. “You’re lucky it was me who told you to deck that bastard. At least you got a therapist to talk about your issues out of it. If it was another demon, you would’ve killed him!”

Gabriel shuddered at the thought. He knew he would be capable of such a crime, with the right push. Now that he was a human, could he go to Hell? He… hadn’t considered the possibility before, but now that he thought about it, he couldn’t deny that it scared him.

He didn’t want to go to Hell.

“Do you need more to drink, Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked.

Against his better judgement, Gabriel nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

It was ten minutes into the store’s opening, and already Gabriel was hanging his head between his shoulders. He eyed a refrigerator in the frozen food section and seriously contemplated dunking his head into it.

That morning, he had woken up on Aziraphale’s couch with a tartan blanket covering his body and a pounding headache that refused to go away. After a quick search on his phone, he found that he was having what humans would call a ‘hangover’. 

However, he didn’t have time to properly cure it. It was almost eight in the morning, and he was supposed to arrive at work in thirty minutes. Not to mention that he was still dressed in yesterday’s clothes — he couldn’t show up at work like that. So he’d had to rush back to his flat, change his clothes, and then head to work.

“You okay, Sir? You look like absolute shite”, Emily, one of his coworkers, commented. She reminded him a bit of Uriel, with her dark skin and spitfire attitude.

“No. Not really”, Gabriel answered honestly with a small shake of his head. The movement made him wince a bit. “I, ah… had drinks last night.”

“Ouch”, Emily winced. “D’you need some ibuprofen? I have some in my purse, I think.”

“That would be nice, thank you”, Gabriel told her.

“Not a prob!” she gave a mock salute, before ducking into the back room. 

It didn’t take long until she was back, a pill in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Gabriel paused his inventorizing and popped the pill into his mouth, before chugging down the water.

“Gotta admit, I’m surprised that you drank at all”, Emily said. “Like, no offense, Sir. But I always thought you’re kind of a health nut.”

“A health nut?” Gabriel asked, genuinely curious. He’d never heard that term before, but the way Emily said it made it sound kind of bad.

“Well… You use skimmed milk for your oatmeal, eat salad for dinner, and… don’t you jog everyday too?” Emily pointed out, and Gabriel was… impressed.

He still didn’t know what ‘health nut’ meant.

“You’re very observant”, he said instead.

Emily flushed, though Gabriel didn’t know why. 

“W-well. It’s kind of hard to miss, when an attractive guy starts working at your workplace and, in the three months he’s been working there, the only thing he takes from work is near-expired salad. That’s pretty weird”, she said.

Gabriel stared at her, confused and perhaps also overwhelmed. Out of everything she said, all he’d caught was that he was apparently a weird guy?

“But… to keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear”, Gabriel recited. “Isn’t that… what one of your wise men said?”

Emily stared at him, confusion clear on her face.

“Buddha?” Gabriel told her. Did she not know about her own history? Even Gabriel knew about his wisdom, though he’d never met the man himself.

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting you to quote some hippie”, Emily said. She still looked confused. “I, uh. I should go back to work now.”

And with that, she walked away, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but with him.

When she left, Gabriel felt… odd. This was the reason why he rarely talked to his coworkers — they always made him feel out of place. Like he didn’t belong.

But he did notice that he felt a little better. His headache was gone.

He went back to work.

—

“So, how are you, Gabriel?” Dr. Smith asked. 

Amelia Smith was a therapist assigned to Gabriel’s case. She was old for a human, with wrinkles and laugh lines on her face, and her curly brown hair was tied back into a bun. Her physical appearance reminded him of Michael, somewhat, but that was where their similarities ended. While Michael was cold and calculating, Dr. Smith was warm and kind.

(Sometimes, Gabriel wondered what had happened to his fellow Archangels, now that he was a human on Earth. Had they suffered the same punishment as him?)

Gabriel had been seeing her weekly for the last two months, not that Gabriel minded. She was very easy to talk to, and Gabriel found that he enjoyed sharing his progress with her. He always felt some sort of satisfaction when he made great progress, and he supposed that was a good thing… right?

“I met with, ah… an old acquaintance”, Gabriel answered. 

“Why don’t you tell me about this old acquaintance of yours?” Dr. Smith folded her hands on her lap and looked at him with interest.

“I knew him from before I… I mean, before I lost my memory”, Gabriel said. “He saw me when I was jogging and… well. I remember I did something terrible to him, before, but apparently he already forgave me.”

“That’s good, Gabriel. And how do you feel about that?” Dr. Smith asked.

“I felt… embarrassed, I suppose. It was really terrible, what I did to him”, Gabriel admitted. “But he said… He said, I need to forgive myself.”

“And have you?” she asked. “Have you forgiven yourself?”

Gabriel shook his head, his eyes burning and his throat tight.

“Well, it’s alright. Let’s make that our next project, okay?” Dr. Smith said kindly. “And what else happened?”

“He invited me for a drink”, Gabriel said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “It was my first time drinking, and, well… I was worried that it would have a bad impact on my health, but I also didn’t want to refuse him.”

“There’s nothing wrong with drinking socially, as long as you remember not to get completely inebriated”, Dr. Smith told him. “But if you don’t like it, you can always refuse. Perhaps ask him if he has non-alcoholic alternative.”

Gabriel nodded. Perhaps he would do that next time.

_ If _ there was a next time. He didn’t know if Aziraphale inviting him in was a one-time thing. It made Gabriel regret that he hadn’t thanked Aziraphale for everything he’d done when he had the chance.

“I also just found out, that… um.” Gabriel scratched the back of his head. “I found out that apparently, he had a hand in me getting my job and my flat. And I… didn’t know it until yesterday.”

“Did he now?” Dr. Smith asked, looking interested. “And what did you say to him?”

“I haven’t thanked him”, Gabriel answered, looking down to his hands in his lap. “I don’t know how to thank him. I mean… I owe him big time.”

“Why don’t you just say thank you? If he’s really your friend, he won’t ask for anything else”, Dr. Smith asked.

“F-friend…?” Gabriel asked back, nearly choking at the word.

“From what you’ve told me about him, it seems that he’s a very good friend of yours”, Dr. Smith said. “It’s good to have a friend, Gabriel, especially one who knows your past. I know that you’re still struggling with it.”

Gabriel stared at her, before he could truly process what she was saying.

_ Friend…  _ He had a friend.

He’d never had a friend before, and he’d never thought that it would be Aziraphale of all people. Sure, Aziraphale had invited him for a drink and helped him when he needed it— even if he hadn’t known about it — but surely it took more than that to befriend someone?

He didn’t know what to think.

— 

It was raining again when Gabriel left work the next night, but this time he was prepared. He popped his umbrella open, before he began the walk to his flat.

Night had fallen, but the streets of Soho were still alive with people bustling around. It wasn’t as bad when it was raining, but Gabriel still had some difficulties navigating his way around them.

That was when a car screeched to a stop next to him. Gabriel recognized it as the Bentley — there wasn’t another car like it in Soho, and Gabriel had learned that the car was rather antique. When its window rolled down, he wasn’t surprised to find Crowley behind the wheel and Aziraphale next to him.

“Why don’t you get in, Gabriel? It looks like it’s going to pour down soon”, Aziraphale asked.

Gabriel looked at the sky, where dark clouds hung heavily. It seemed that Aziraphale might be right, and he wasn’t really keen to get rained on when there was a drier alternative. But still… 

“Thank you for the offer, but um… my flat isn’t too far, actually”, he said.

“Oh, I was thinking of inviting you for dinner, actually”, Aziraphale returned. “We’re about to head to the Ritz.”

“The Ritz?” Gabriel blinked. He was unfamiliar with the name and thus didn’t know if he should accept or not.

“Of course, you don’t have to accept if you don’t want to. We don’t want to force you”, Aziraphale said.

“Not that, it’s— Well, I don’t know what it is”, Gabriel admitted. 

“Oh! It’s a restaurant. You’re familiar with those, right?” Aziraphale asked.

He’d never eaten in a restaurant before, but he knew the gist of it. 

“Yes, I know what a restaurant is”, Gabriel answered. “Uh, are you, um… having a date? Because I don’t want to impose on you.”

“Nonsense, I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want to be imposed on”, Aziraphale tutted. “Well?”

Gabriel thought back about his latest session with Dr. Smith, about Aziraphale being a friend, and… well… Having friends supposedly was a part of being a human, right? But Gabriel wondered if it counted if his friend wasn’t human.

He didn’t know how this whole friendship thing worked, but he knew that he was supposed to interact with them and get to know them better. For that, he should be spending more time with them, right?

“Alright, then”, Gabriel answered eventually. He closed his umbrella, before entering the Bentley’s backseat. Crowley snapped his fingers, and Gabriel’s umbrella was suddenly dry. Huh.

“You still want to go to the Ritz, angel? He’s not exactly dressed for the place”, Crowley said.

“Oh, I suppose you’re right”, Aziraphale huffed.

Gabriel looked down at his white shirt, light brown pants, and grey jacket, frowning. “What’s wrong with my clothes?” he asked.

“Nothing’s wrong with them, my dear”, Aziraphale reassured. “However, humans put importance on one’s appearance when entering, ah… certain establishments. One might be denied service without proper dress.”

“It’s just a restaurant, right? What’s so important about it that people might be denied service?” Gabriel asked.

“Class system”, Crowley answered. “Humans here might claim that there’s no longer class division, but you can’t enter certain places if you look like you’re living from paycheck to paycheck.”

“Oh”, Gabriel still didn’t understand what was wrong with that, but said nothing else.

“What would you like to eat, Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked.

“I never ate in a restaurant before, so… I don’t know”, Gabriel admitted. In his defense, he was perfectly content with eating the same thing every day. Oatmeal for breakfasts, pasta for lunches, and salad for dinners. They provided him with nutrients that he needed, and most importantly, they were  _ healthy _ .

“You never  _ what?! _ ” Aziraphale sounded indignant. “Oh I cannot stand for this. Crowley, we need to take him to the Ritz, clothes be damned!”

He heard Crowley grumble, but he wasn’t saying no.

—

After Gabriel refused Crowley’s offer to make changes to his clothes, Aziraphale had used a miracle so that nobody would pay attention to it. Gabriel frowned at the frivolous use of miracle, before reminding himself that it was not his business anymore.

As the three of them entered the Ritz, Gabriel suddenly understood what Crowley had said about class system. Immediately, he felt out of place, but if either Aziraphale or Crowley noticed his discomfort, they said nothing about it.

A man took them to a table of three, before handing them a book each. When Gabriel opened it, it appeared to have a list of food, which he assumed he had to pick. He was unfamiliar with each food item (what was  _ langoustine? _ ), but his attention was not on the food — no, rather, it was on the prices listed.

His eyes widened.

“Aziraphale”, he whispered to the angel sitting next to him. “I think the prices might be wrong.”

Crowley snorted on his other side, while Aziraphale looked confused, before understanding crossed his face.

“Oh, oh no. They are not wrong, they’re just… rather expensive, is all”, the plump angel said.

Gabriel stared at Aziraphale, horrified, then at the book in front of him. Each food was easily  _ twenty times _ more expensive than the near-expired salad he took home for dinner every single day. Some even cost as high as £90! It made him wonder if the portion would be  _ outrageously massive _ .

“Aziraphale, I don’t think I can pay for the food”, Gabriel admitted. He had been planning to buy more clothes and donate to charity at the end of the month.

“Oh, don’t you worry about paying”, Aziraphale said. “Crowley and I—”

“Nope”, Crowley interrupted firmly. “It was your idea to invite him. You pay.”

“Ugh,  _ fine _ . I can pay for us all”, Aziraphale sighed, rolling his eyes and grumbling something about stingy demons.

Gabriel felt bad. He didn’t know why it felt bad, letting Aziraphale to pay for him, but he didn’t have time to mull it over. A man came to their table and asked if they were ready to order yet.

Quickly, he scrolled the selection of food and was firmly resolved to order the cheapest one in the book. 

“Can I have, um… ballotine of duck liver?” Gabriel asked. He didn’t know what a ballotine was, and he recognized the words ‘duck’ and ‘liver’ separately. Oh well… he figured he’d find out soon enough.

“Of course, my dear”, Aziraphale said. “And what do you want for the main course?”

“Wait, I have to order more than one?” Gabriel was surprised. He didn’t want to burden Aziraphale even further, and the food in the main course section seemed to be more expensive.

“Of course you don’t have to if you don’t want to”, Aziraphale answered kindly.

“I think one is enough”, Gabriel returned. He hoped that the portion would be enough to fill him. Aziraphale nodded, before he went to order food for himself. After Crowley ordered some wine for the whole table, the man walked away.

When their food arrived not long after, Gabriel was  _ baffled _ .

“It’s so tiny!” Gabriel cried out. He couldn’t believe it. It didn’t even cover the whole plate like he had expected it to be.

“Yes, it’s tiny. That was why I asked if you wanted the main course”, Aziraphale said. Well… how could Gabriel know that? Nobody had told him that the portion would be so small!

“When you eat in an expensive restaurant, always assume that the food won’t be enough to fill you up”, Crowley told him before sipping his wine.

“But… I thought the point of eating was to fill your stomach with food and give your body the nutrients it needs.” Gabriel was confused.

“‘Cause it’s not about sating your hunger”, Crowley said with a chuckle. “It’s about the experience. Rich people pay for expensive food to show that they can afford it.”

That made Gabriel frown. “But that… that’s pride, one of the cardinal sins.”

“It is”, Crowley said.

“It is not”, Aziraphale said at the same time. “Honestly, Crowley. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of hedonism. It’s even in the Bible. ‘That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil — this is the gift of God.’”

“ _ Sure _ , angel”, Crowley said, but even Gabriel could hear the hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

Gabriel decided to say nothing. Suddenly, he wasn’t feeling hungry anymore.

“Would you like some wine, Gabriel dear?” Aziraphale asked.

“Uh, no”, Gabriel answered with a grimace.

“This is not because of what Crowley said, is it?” Aziraphale tutted. “Honestly, Crowley. You shouldn’t confuse the poor lad anymore.”

“Actually, um… I’d rather prefer to stay sober”, Gabriel said, and it wasn’t a lie. Being drunk was bad for his health, and he wasn’t keen to have another hangover.

In the span of three months of being a human, he’d gotten sick exactly once and he wasn’t exactly keen to repeat the experience. It was gross, and his nose had been leaking fluids, not to mention that he was too weak to do practically anything. 

The hangover he experienced was somewhat equal to that.

“Ah, of course”, Aziraphale nodded, before ordering water for Gabriel. Gabriel was just glad that Aziraphale was so understanding of him. Perhaps he was really a friend after all.

They chatted as they ate, the three of them. Aziraphale asked Gabriel about his work, and Gabriel answered as honestly as possible. Aziraphale listened raptly and cheered him up when Gabriel told him about a particularly rude regular customer.

(Later, he found that said customer had been arrested for credit card fraud. He was considering thinking nothing of it, but then realized that either Aziraphale or Crowley had to have been involved. Gabriel thought it was rather touching.)

When they were done eating, the rain had stopped falling and Crowley dropped Gabriel off in front of his flat.

“Thank you for inviting me”, Gabriel told Aziraphale.. “And… uh. For everything. For my job and, and for my flat. I kind of forgot to thank you before.”

“Of course, Gabriel dear. It’s no problem at all!” Aziraphale beamed.

“And thank you for taking me home, um… Crowley.” The demon’s name felt odd on his tongue, but he supposed he had to get used to it. It was only polite, after all.

Crowley turned to him, as if not expecting to be thanked. His eyes were still hidden behind his glasses, but Gabriel could feel his gaze pinning him down.

“Not a problem, sunshine”, Crowley drawled with a smirk plastered on his face.

Gabriel winced. Right. He supposed Aziraphale had told Crowley about the event of his execution. He couldn’t blame Crowley for throwing the nickname back at him.

“Play nice, dearest”, Aziraphale tutted, before turning back to Gabriel. “Now, don’t be a stranger, alright? Come into the bookshop anytime you want. The door is always open for you.”

“Thank you, really”, Gabriel said, before pulling back. 

As the car began to move, Aziraphale gave him a small wave. Gabriel waved back, before making his way into his flat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone in Good Omens Fic Writer server for the prank ideas!!

The autumn sun shone a little bit more brightly when Gabriel went to work in the morning, and he thought it mirrored his mood perfectly.

A friend. He had  _ a friend _ . He’d never had any friends before, not even back when he was an Archangel. Angels generally didn’t have friends. Sure, they had colleagues and acquaintances, some were closer than the others, but not friends. 

The closest Gabriel had ever have for a friend was Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, back when he had to go deliver the verses of Qur’an. He had taught the man how to read, had watched him grow into a fine prophet of the Lord, and he had been… rather distraught, when he’d died. But he had brushed off the grief he felt quickly, believing that it was part of Her Plan.

Angels, after all, generally didn’t have friends. 

Except for Aziraphale, perhaps, but Aziraphale was unique. He’d always been.

Oh well, it didn’t matter anymore. He was no longer an angel, and he was free to befriend anyone he wanted — be it an angel, a demon, or a human. 

Well… perhaps  _ not  _ a human. He doubted they would be so understanding about his past, being an ex-angel and all. They would think he was a lunatic. Or a demon — could demons have friends? Crowley had been friends with Aziraphale for God knows how long, but then again Crowley, just like Aziraphale, had always been unique.

So it was just Aziraphale and Crowley, really.

Well… Gabriel didn’t mind that. Having two friends was better than none at all, after all.

“You seem awfully jolly this morning, Sir”, Matt, one of the store clerks, said.

“I have friends!” Gabriel told him brightly as he put away his overcoat. Then he put on his apron and walked away. He ignored the way his coworkers were staring at him oddly, and made way to begin inventorizing.

Nothing could dull his mood today.

—

Except, a horrible thing happened. Multiple horrible things!

For some reason, all credit cards were denied, making customers angry. They were already so quick to anger, Gabriel found, and this did not help at all. When his shift was over, Gabriel had lost count of how many times a customer had yelled at him, demanded to meet with the manager, or just generally been a nuisance. Neither of his coworkers had helped him. Even the manager, that prick, had refused to come out of his office. It made the whole thing even more annoying.

As he walked back home, he tried to rub away the bruise on his face, where a customer had smacked him with her handbag. It didn’t work, of course, which made him wish that he still had some of his healing powers. He had to look ridiculous, walking around with a black eye like this.

Gabriel was so distraught that he hadn’t paid attention to where his feet were taking him. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Aziraphale’s bookshop. The sign showed that the shop was closed.

Oh well. Aziraphale had told him he was welcome anytime in the bookshop, anyway.

Bracing himself, he opened the door.

“We’re closed!” Aziraphale shouted from the back room. His voice sounded a bit muffled, and Gabriel wondered if he was interrupting something.

“Aziraphale? It’s me”, Gabriel called out.

Aziraphale walked out of the backroom, and immediately his eyes zeroed onto his face.

“My dear Lord, Gabriel! What had happened to you?!” the plump angel shouted, before rushing to him. Gabriel felt a rush of giddiness as Aziraphale began to fuss over him.

“Just a rough day at work”, Gabriel answered. At Aziraphale’s confused look, he elaborated, “A lady hit me with her handbag when I told her not to yell to our cashier.”

“Oh, that’s awful!” Aziraphale huffed, his chest practically puffing in indignation. “Here, let me just—”

“No miracles!” Gabriel interrupted, raising his hand to grip at Aziraphale’s wrist. “I— I mean, please don’t use your miracle on me. I’d rather not have you get in trouble for using frivolous miracles.”

“Oh my dear Gabriel, you shouldn’t worry yourself about such a trivial matter”, Aziraphale tutted. “It’s just a small miracle to make your black eye go away. May I?”

“Just…” Gabriel sighed. “Just miracle me an ice pack. It’ll go away on its own. I’m fine.”

“If you say so”, Aziraphale relented and snapped his fingers. 

An ice pack was materialized onto Gabriel’s face and he let out a sigh as the chill from it seeped into his skin. He held it in one hand and sat down on one of Aziraphale’s couches.

“Why was the lady so angry at you for telling her off?” Aziraphale asked, and there was something in his voice that Gabriel couldn’t quite put his finger on. It sounded so much like suspicion that Gabriel couldn’t help but feel a little bit hurt.

“It started with credit cards being denied. People can’t pay for their groceries, and it made them upset. Then they started yelling at our cashiers”, he answered truthfully. 

“People these days, honestly. So easy to anger”, Aziraphale huffed.

“Aziraphale”, Gabriel said in a deadpan. “People have always been quick to anger. Remember the Crucifixion?”

  
“Oh, alright. I suppose you’re right”, Aziraphale returned.

Suddenly, the bookshop door burst open, and Crowley sauntered into the bookshop. 

“Angel, you won’t believe what happened today!” he shouted, grinning widely. “I brought down the credit card service all across London! I know you’ve always hated those little plastic thingies. Oh. Hi, Gabe. Didn’t see you there. Why’d you have a black eye?”

“Crowley…” Aziraphale let out an exasperated groan, but Gabriel couldn’t hear him. 

There was rushing in his ears that grew louder as anger rose inside his chest. Gabriel gripped the ice pack he was holding tightly, until they crunched together. He was seriously considering to throw it against Crowley’s face. It seemed fitting, if he gave him a black eye too.

“Oh”, was all Crowley said as realization dawned upon him. “Oh shit. Fuck.”

“Alright. Why don’t we all sit down”, Aziraphale said. “Gabriel, deep breath, my dear. Let’s not do anything hasty now.”

Gabriel glared sharply at Crowley, before forcing himself to shut his eyes. He forced himself to take a deep, deep breath too, counting down from ten, then let out a long sigh. Then, he repeated the whole process, again, and again, and again.

“Alright”, Aziraphale said.

Gabriel opened his eyes and stared at Aziraphale, pointedly ignoring Crowley who was sitting next to him.

“Crowley, do you have something to say to Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked almost too sweetly.

“Ngk”, Crowley said eloquently. He turned to Gabriel, and looked as unrepentant as someone could be. "I’m sorry…?”

“And what do you say, Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked. “Do you accept Crowley’s apology?”

Gabriel took another deep breath.

He knew. He  _ knew  _ that the right thing to do was to accept Crowley’s apology and moved on. It wasn’t good to let his anger to fester inside him; Dr. Smith said so. But looking at Crowley’s unrepentant grin made that a nearly impossible task to do.

“No”, Gabriel answered.

“Eh, that’s fair”, Crowley said with a shrug. 

—

Pettiness was a new feeling to Gabriel. He wanted to get back at Crowley but he found that he didn’t want to hurt him. He just wanted Crowley to feel the annoyance he felt when he got yelled at by those angry customers. It was confusing, but Gabriel thought it was better than being angry.

However, he didn’t know how to get back at Crowley. He figured yelling at him wouldn’t work — Crowley was too much of a prick to feel any semblance of guilt. No, Gabriel wanted to hit him where it hurt… well, metaphorically. He really didn’t want to be resorting to physical violence, of course. No, that was not his style.

So he had to go to the person who knew Crowley best: Aziraphale.

However, Gabriel figured convincing Aziraphale would be hard work in itself. He was Crowley’s friend, first and foremost. Gabriel had only become friends with him very recently, so he figured Aziraphale would take Crowley’s side. Second, he was still an angel; and angels didn’t do petty revenge. 

So Gabriel prepared an elaborate plan to get Aziraphale on his side.

“So, listen, Aziraphale. I know you’re friends with Crowley, but I—”

“Sure, Gabriel dear”, Aziraphale interrupted him.

“Wait”, Gabriel paused mid-speech, blinking. “What?”

“You want to get back at Crowley for the whole credit card fiasco, so you employed my help as the one who knows him best. Have I guessed correctly?” Aziraphale asked. His smile was too bright and angelic for someone who just had agreed to petty revenge.

“Uh, yeah”, Gabriel didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t expecting Aziraphale to agree so quickly.

Aziraphale did a happy sway. “Well, it’s been awhile since I plotted something against my wily adversary, so I might be a little bit rusty.”

And so it began. Gabriel and Aziraphale were preparing a special concoction in the rarely-used kitchen at the bookshop. Gabriel had brought the ingredients from the supermarket. They brought the concoction into the bookshop and set everything up on the table.

The two of them lounged on the couches while they waited for Crowley to arrive. While Gabriel was slowly sipping his hot cocoa, Aziraphale was not touching his drink at all.

When the front door opened with a tinkle, Aziraphale and Gabriel looked up, pausing their conversation.

“Hey, Gabe. Hey, angel”, Crowley prattled. “What are you girls gossiping about?”

“We were just discussing Wilde”, Aziraphale answered for him, which Gabriel was thankful for.

“Uh, yeah. Interesting fellow, that Wilde”, Gabriel smiled.

“I didn’t know you could read”, Crowley teased with a grin.

“Why do people always assume that I’m illiterate? I taught Muhammad how to read, you know”, Gabriel let out a sigh. 

“Perhaps because you exude airheadedness?” Crowley retorted with a cheeky grin.

“Crowley, play nice”, Aziraphale chided, while Gabriel merely rolled his eyes.

_ Patience _ , he thought to himself. Crowley would get his due soon enough.

“Have you two been drinking without me? I see how it is. You’re replacing me with him, aren’t you, angel?” Crowley teased as he flopped onto the couch. Aziraphale practically puffed out in indignation.

“I can have more than one friend, you know”, the plump angel retorted. “And besides, Gabriel doesn’t tease me about my bibliophilia, unlike a certain old serpent who claimed to be the love of my life.”

“Aww, you love me, angel”, Crowley grinned, and before Gabriel knew it, the two of them were kissing. 

Gabriel quietly sipped his cocoa, wishing that he was anywhere but here. Crowley and Aziraphale seemed to have forgotten that he was still in the room. Thankfully, their display of affection soon stopped. Crowley’s cheeks were pink and Aziraphale looked rather dazed; their lips seemed to glisten in the low light of the bookshop.

“Enjoying the view, aren’t you?” Crowley teased, turning at Gabriel.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m not here”, Gabriel returned, feeling embarrassment warming up his face.

“Stop teasing him, Crowley dearest”, Aziraphale tutted, before taking one of the empty glasses and pouring from the bottle.

“Shutting me up with wine. Classic”, Crowley chuckled. “What’s this, by the way? I don’t recognize the smell.”

“Just something that I picked up in Italy, near two hundred years ago”, Aziraphale answered, before handing the glass to Crowley

“Ohh, what’s the occasion?” Crowley perked up in interest.

“I picked up a set of very rare books!” Aziraphale practically beamed, and Gabriel wondered if that was true or if it were just a lie he told for the sake of their set-up. Angels didn’t lie, but that was a lie in itself. They told lies when they needed to — even Gabriel had lied on occasion back when he was still an Archangel.

“Cheers for the rare books?” Gabriel lifted up his mug.

Aziraphale turned towards Crowley. “See what I mean about not teasing my bibliophilia? You need to take notes, Crowley, my dearest.”

“Yeah, yeah. To the dusty old books”, Crowley said, before chugging down his glass—

— and spitting it out the next moment.

“What the blessed heavens is this?!” Crowley cried out, popping his sunglasses up and revealing a pair of very angry snake eyes.

Gabriel couldn’t hold back any longer and roared in laughter, slapping his knees as Crowley looked around, still dumbfounded. Aziraphale laughed too and wiggled happily. 

“He drank it!” Gabriel howled. “He drank the soy sauce water we prepared, just like you said!”

“He did, Gabriel my dear”, Aziraphale grinned from ear to ear.

“And his face! Did you see the look on his face?” Gabriel asked, still laughing.

“Oh. Oh, you two have done and did it!” Crowley growled. “I declare the Great Prank War the tenth! Or was it eleventh?”

“Really, my dearest, no need for dramatics”, Aziraphale tutted. “We were just getting back at you for that credit card fiasco.”

“Nope! I won’t accept! The Great Prank war is on!” Crowley exclaimed.

And that was how the Great Prank War X between Aziraphale and Crowley began, with Gabriel as an unwitting (though not entirely unwilling) participant.

—

The next morning, Gabriel got a package from a sender called ‘AJC’ when he was at work. It was rather big, perhaps the size of a shoe box. He’d never gotten a package before, and was excited to open it. 

However, the package turned out to be full of glittery dust. It exploded in his face, causing him to sneeze and cough. But that was not where the catastrophe ended.

It  _ clung _ to his body like some kind of very persistent… well, whatever it was that clung very persistently. It refused to come off his shirt, his skin, even his hair. His precious cashmere jumper was forever ruined. Gabriel was  _ distraught _ .

It wasn’t until he was crouching down in his bathroom as he tried to brush the glitter off his jumper, that he realized what the whole glittery business meant.

It was a prank. A very nasty prank, undoubtedly done by Crowley to get back at him for the soy sauce water. This was what prank war meant and, like any war, he assumed it would not stop until one of them surrendered.

Well, Gabriel was not about to surrender. He might be just a mere human against a force bigger than himself, but he would rather die than give Crowley the satisfaction of beating him.

He picked his phone and called the bookshop.

“Hey, Aziraphale”, he greeted once the angel on the other side picked up the phone. “It’s me, Gabriel.”

“Oh, Gabriel! Thank Heavens, I was about to call you!” Aziraphale exclaimed. He sounded distraught too, and Gabriel wondered what had happened. “Did Crowley do something to you?”

“Yeah, he— what was the word? Ah yes, glitter-bombed me when I was at work. My clothes are  _ ruined _ , and I swear I’m still trailing glitter everywhere”, Gabriel let out a low growl before he could stop himself. He wasn’t mad at Aziraphale, he had to remind himself. “Did he do something to you too?”

“Well, not me— but, oh! He filled my bookshop with poisonous plants! I don’t know how he did it— I was out for an hour to get some tikka masala, since I was feeling a bit peckish. When I got back, the whole shop was covered with them!” Aziraphale rambled. “Please don’t come to the bookshop until I can remove them safely. I’m not sure how the plants will affect a human like you — it sure affected me  _ badly! _ ”

Oh, wow. That sounded absolutely horrible. Gabriel had read a book about various poisonous plants when he was bored out of his mind, and was horrified to find various ways those plants could harm him. It made him swear to never step foot in a forest or any place with lots of plants — and, if the bookshop was absolutely covered in them, he sure as heaven would not be stepping foot in it.

“So he attacked us both in ways that are personal to us”, Gabriel said. “Do you know how to get back at him?”

Aziraphale was quiet for a moment, before answering, “I think I know a way. Does your supermarket stock tartan wrapping paper?”

It did. They were the ugliest thing Gabriel had ever seen. Aziraphale told him to bring  _ just enough _ and gave him some instructions.

—

It was not raining when Gabriel was off doing his part to get back at Crowley. He wondered if Aziraphale had a hand in it — the angel certainly was not above using a miracle for something as frivolous as this. 

Armed with a handful of glue sticks, scissors, and the ugliest tartan wrapping paper he could get his hands on, Gabriel set to work. Meanwhile, inside the sushi restaurant, Aziraphale was distracting Crowley, though the angel had promised to give it a finishing touch once Gabriel was done.

It was hard work but, when Gabriel was done, the entire interior of the Bentley was covered in tartan. When he climbed out of it, hair damp with sweat and fingers still sticky with glue, he was surprised to find that the Bentley was now tartan-patterned instead of its usual sleek black.

Oh, Gabriel thought. So that was the promised finishing touch.

Feeling satisfied, Gabriel went home.

—

However, over the next three days, Crowley retaliated with such ruthlessness that it would have impressed Gabriel at any other time. 

On Friday, Gabriel found that his clothes and shoes were miraculously two sizes too small. Every step he took sent painful twinges through his feet, and his wrists poked out of his clothes. He looked ridiculous, and Gabriel was  _ fuming _ . 

On Saturday, Gabriel woke up to his flat absolutely covered with pictures of Crowley in, well… various states of undress. He had taken them down, blushing furiously all the while. Shameless demon, he grumbled.

On Sunday, Gabriel found that his weekly report was replaced with pictures of ducks. He had stood for half an hour while his manager, that prick, yelled at him for his incompetence. Gabriel had to stay up much later than usual to redo his report.

On Monday, Gabriel was barely coherent as he called Aziraphale. He didn’t remember what he’d said to the angel, but he thought he’d been crying at some point. Aziraphale told him to call in sick, and Gabriel did as he was told, before crashing onto his bed.

When he woke up, it was dark outside and Gabriel thought he heard people talking. Standing up abruptly, he was ready to fight whoever had broken into his flat—

— only to find Crowley and Aziraphale sitting on the chairs by the window.

“How did you get in?!” Gabriel blurted out before he realized that— right, ethereal and occult beings. Who needed keys when you had miracles? Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose as a headache began to build in behind his eyes. “Forget about that. Why are you here?”

Aziraphale nudged at Crowley’s side, who actually looked sheepish.

“Sorry for getting you yelled at again at work”, Crowley said. “I went overboard, and I shouldn’t have done.”

“And?” Aziraphale urged.

“And I won’t interfere with your work again. I won’t be the reason you lose your job, promise”, Crowley continued.

Gabriel sighed. “I’m not apologizing for covering your car in tartan.”

“Fair enough”, Crowley nodded. “So… you surrender?”

“I do”, Gabriel answered tiredly. “You won. Please don’t prank me again.”

Crowley grinned. “Two against one and I still came out winning. How does that feel, angel?” he asked, turning to Aziraphale.

“Oh hush you”, Aziraphale huffed. “I will win the next time.”

“Well, count me out from whatever feud you have”, Gabriel said, raising his hands in surrendering gesture. “All this pranking made me exhausted. And you still need to change back my clothes.”

“Done”, Crowley answered, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, Gabriel could breathe again as the shirt he wore reverted back into its previous size.

Aziraphale mumbled something that sounded like ‘Oh thank heavens’.

“Welp, I’m absolutely famished. Wanna eat out with us?” Crowley offered, standing up and clapping his hands.

“You don’t need to eat”, Gabriel pointed out.

“But you do, and we just checked the inside of your pantry — oatmeal and pasta, seriously? Aziraphale here was about to have a conniption seeing how you eat”, Crowley pointed his thumb at Aziraphale.

Gabriel flushed. “They’re healthy.”

“They’re an atrocity against eating deliciously, is what they are”, Aziraphale retorted. “We’re taking you out to a real Italian place tonight, and that’s final!”

“Don’t try to argue with him”, Crowley grinned. “Coming?”

Gabriel groaned and rubbed his face with his hand.

“Sure, let me grab my coat”, he said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for body image issue and slight eating disorder in this chapter

The Italian place had been delightful. On Aziraphale’s recommendation, Gabriel ordered a plateful of cannelloni with creamy chicken filling. The food was so good, and Aziraphale had beamed when he’d told him so. 

Gabriel had actually enjoyed the time spent with Aziraphale and Crowley. They had teased each other about the pranks they did — Crowley especially had been rather relentless in his teasing. Apparently, Crowley was winning the prank war between him and Aziraphale that had been running since the dawn of time, and Gabriel couldn’t help but tease Aziraphale about it too.

It was a lovely evening, all in all.

But then he realized that the food he ordered was rather heavy in calories.

He was worried about eating such a heavy meal before going to bed. All the health articles he'd read made it very clear not to do it; it would affect his health badly, they said. When he took a look at himself in the mirror before going to bed that night, he swore he could see a paunch forming in his midsection.

Gabriel panicked. He had been keeping his corporation in this shape and size for six thousand years, and this new change to his now-human body was… terrifying, if he had to admit. What if he couldn’t fit into his clothes? He didn’t want to have to buy new clothes. What if the change made him unhealthy? He’d wanted to keep this body of his as healthy as possible.

And that was how he ended up doing his daily jogging early in the morning instead of his usual after-work jogging.

He’d never exercised so early in the morning before, but he found that he enjoyed it. There weren’t many park-goers this early and it felt as if he was the only one alive in the world, even though he knew that wasn’t true. The air was refreshing, scent of morning mist hung in the air, and the grass was still wet with morning dew. It was nice, he supposed.

He was done doing laps around the pond and was doing stretches to cool down, when lightning struck just a few meters ahead of him, surprising him. From it, Archangel Michael stepped out.

Gabriel gulped at the display of power, and when Michael walked towards him, Gabriel resisted the very strong urge to take a step back. He’d always been cautious around Michael, back when he was an angel. She was rather ruthless, and Gabriel both respected her and feared her. Now that he was a human, he was nothing but a speck of dirt underneath her heels.

“Be not afraid”, Michael told him, and Gabriel was suddenly flashing back to all those times he'd said those words to some poor mortal. Only now he understood how they had felt, facing a force bigger than themselves — terrified and so very, very small.

“Hello, Michael”, Gabriel told her, trying to keep his voice casual. “To what, um, do I owe the pleasure?”

Michael smiled, but there was no warmth in it. Her eyes were cold as she raked her gaze over him, and it felt like she was examining a rather dull experiment. Gabriel swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Hello, Gabriel”, she said. “Are you finding being human agreeable?”

Gabriel was immediately confused. “It was not my decision. I was made into a human without any warning”, he answered with a frown.

“Oh, apologies for my mistake”, Michael said. “But you seem to be adjusting so well that one might think you were born for this.”

_ Ouch _ , Gabriel knew an insult when he heard one, and that one  _ hurt _ .

“You are rather lucky, don’t you think?” Michael continued. “One Fell for lesser crimes, back in the day, yet here you are. Turned into a human, while the rest of Heaven scrambled to fill the position you left in your absence.”

Something clicked inside Gabriel’s mind.

“You took up the leadership position again”, he said. “Good for you.”

“Thank you”, Michael said. “Meanwhile, your co-conspirators, Uriel and Sandalphon have been demoted. They are now the Heavenly equivalent of paper-pushers. Poor Uriel, though. She’s not adjusting well.”

Gabriel didn’t know what to think of that. He had been closer to Sandalphon than Uriel, but not  _ that  _ close. They went on missions together, before, but they were simply colleagues, nothing more. Their relationship was strictly work-related.

“They were… demoted?” Gabriel managed to say.

“For assisting you, for holding an unsanctioned execution against Ex-Principality Aziraphale”, Michael said, and Gabriel felt a stab of guilt, being reminded of his past mistake.

Aziraphale had forgiven him, he had to remind himself.

Had Uriel and Sandalphon, though?

“They are angry at you”, Michael told him after awhile. “They want to get back at you.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Gabriel asked, a foreboding sense churning in his gut.

“I suppose I owe you”, Michael answered. “Thanks to your absence, I managed to take my position back from you, after two thousand years. Though I suppose it is no longer any of your business, what with you being a mortal and all.”

Gabriel didn’t need to be reminded of the fact. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and swallowed bitter words.

“Thank you for telling me, I suppose”, he told her instead. “It is appreciated.”

Michael smiled thinly at him, before disappearing in another strike of lightning. Once she’d left, Gabriel sank to the ground, feeling his heart racing in his chest.

— 

After his meeting with Michael, Gabriel was deep in thought. Uriel and Sandalphon… they had been demoted, thanks to his own error in judgement, and now they were mad at him. He couldn’t blame them — he would be mad too in their position.

He wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood, not paying attention to where he was walking. Before he knew it, he was standing outside Aziraphale’s bookshop, confused as to why he was here. He hadn’t meant to visit Aziraphale this early in the morning, not when he had work to do. Checking at his watch, he noted that he still had an hour and a half until he had to go to work.

So, on an impulse, he entered the bookshop. Either Aziraphale had forgotten to lock the door, or the shop was already open, the door opened with a tinkle.

“We’re not open yet!” Aziraphale’s voice came from the back room.

“Aziraphale?” Gabriel called out, and Aziraphale came out of the back room not long after, straightening up his waistcoat as he did. “Your door is, uh, unlocked.”

“Oh! I suppose you’re right”, Aziraphale said, brightening up. “I never thought you’d come to visit this early, my dear Gabriel.”

“I was—” Gabriel paused, before stopping himself. He wasn’t going to tell Aziraphale about his meeting with Michael — no, Michael was right. That was not his business anymore. None of their businesses anymore, come to think of it. “I was just in the area.”

“Oh, I see. If you’re asking me to jog with you, I’m afraid I must decline”, Aziraphale said with a slight nod to Gabriel’s tracksuit.

“No, I was just done with jogging”, Gabriel returned. “And I was going to head back home. I’m not quite sure why I’m here, actually.”

“Well…” Aziraphale blushed. “I might… have thought that it would be lovely if you came to visit? I was about to head out to this little cafe for breakfast. They have the most delightful pastries and teas that you absolutely need to try.”

“Aziraphale…” Gabriel groaned. “Did you use a miracle to get me to have breakfast with you?”

“Is that a bad thing?” Aziraphale asked, coy smile curling on his lips, and Gabriel could feel heat creeping up his face.

“Uh, no. Actually, no. It’s not that bad”, Gabriel stuttered out. “But I’m supposed to eat healthily, and, well… Last night’s food wasn’t exactly the healthiest. I’m just worried, you see?”

“Gabriel, you exercise, don’t you?” Aziraphale asked. Gabriel nodded, confused. “Then it’s alright to let loose every now and then. You’re allowed to enjoy delicious food. Although, if you refuse my invitation, I won’t be cross with you.”

Gabriel wanted to say that eating unhealthy food two days in a row was not ‘every now and then’, but he paused. Aziraphale practically exuded disappointment, and Gabriel… couldn’t have that. Aziraphale was a dear friend of his.

“Okay then”, Gabriel said. Oh well, he could jog again later in the evening.

Aziraphale wiggled happily, bright smile on his face. “Alright then. Shall we go now?”

“Sure”, Gabriel answered, feeling his stomach flutter. Aziraphale’s smile was infectious, he found, and he couldn't help but return it.

They walked together, side by side. Aziraphale chattered about the cafe they were about to visit, and Gabriel listened raptly. He enjoyed hearing Aziraphale talk, he'd found, loved the way he gestured and swayed with apparent happiness as he talked about the things he loved. Looking at him was like looking at a small sun, so bright and warm, and Gabriel felt proud at the comparison he made.

“They have this plain croissant that’s just absolutely scrumptious, I must say”, Aziraphale told him. “And the eclairs! Oh, the eclairs! You must try them, I insist! They also offer a wide selection of teas, you see.”

Gabriel had thought tea was just that, a tea. A beverage to drink. He’d never understood the difference between each tea and why people made a huge deal about it. But Aziraphale began to prattle about some tea varieties and their many, many tastes, and so Gabriel listened to him as if it were the most important thing in the universe.

They reached the cafe not long after, and selected dishes from a glass counter. Aziraphale chose a plain croissant, a chocolate-covered eclair, and a cup of English breakfast tea. It took longer for Gabriel to decide — the cafe offered a huge variety of pastries that made Gabriel’s head spin.

Eventually, he settled on the same as whatever Aziraphale had chosen. He trusted that Aziraphale would pick the best of the dishes.

They took a seat by the window where they could see passersby walking by the cafe, but Gabriel was not paying attention to them. No, he was watching what Aziraphale did so he could mirror him.

Aziraphale picked the croissant first, biting into it before moaning sinfully. Gabriel could feel his face warming up at the noise, nervously looking around to see if anyone had noticed them, before turning back to the plump angel in front of him.

“Is it that good?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s absolutely  _ heavenly _ ”, Aziraphale answered.

Gabriel didn’t know how a food could taste ‘absolutely heavenly’ as Aziraphale said, but he figured he wouldn’t know unless he tasted it. So he took the croissant, and sniffed it. It smelled buttery.

Taking a slow bite, he found that it was crispy and flaky. Crumbs fell to the front of his tracksuit, but Gabriel ignored them. Aziraphale had been right, it tasted very good — if rather plain. It was still warm, and Gabriel found he actually liked it.

“You have, ah— Hang on, let me…” Aziraphale leaned over and swiped his thumb on Gabriel's cheek, close to his lips, and picked at something there. “There. You have crumbs on your face.”

“Thank you”, Gabriel said faintly, his skin where Aziraphale touched felt tingly. He resisted the urge to touch the spot where Aziraphale had touched him.

Aziraphale smiled at him, before going back to his food, and Gabriel felt a slight flip in his stomach. 

He found that he was unable to tear his eyes away from Aziraphale; Aziraphale finishing off his croissant, licking his lips once he was done, and taking a sip of his tea. Everything he did, he did it with a certain casualness and grace, and Gabriel was… 

Gabriel was… 

What was he was feeling now? It was new and strange. He felt warm and tingly, and his heart was beating hard in his chest. Oh God, was he sick? It felt like he was sick.

“Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked, his voice was soft, and Gabriel felt like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

“Y-yes…?” Gabriel stuttered.

“Are you… okay? Do you not like the food?” Aziraphale asked, his face turning sad. Oh no, why was he sad? Gabriel began to panic.

“It’s good”, Gabriel answered hurriedly. “But I, um, I like watching you eat.”

“O-oh”, Aziraphale hummed, his cheeks turning into a lovely shade of pink.

_ So adorable _ , Gabriel thought, before he paused. Wait, what was he thinking?

“W-well, I’m glad that you enjoyed yourself. But please, try the eclair now. You won’t regret it, I promise”, Aziraphale said, picking up a small fork. “This is a dessert fork. You eat it like this.”

Aziraphale then sliced the eclair with the fork, before scooping up the bite-sized piece of pastry with it and putting it in his mouth. Gabriel mimicked him, and found that the eclair was an odd combination between flaky pastry, sweet creamy filling, and gooey chocolate that melted in his mouth. 

Gabriel let out a moan, before realizing what he had done. He blushed furiously and placed his hand over his mouth.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Aziraphale asked, beaming. “And don’t worry about making any noises. It’s how you appreciate a truly good food.”

Oh, well… if that was the case…

He took another bite of the eclair and let out a moan as he chewed. It was the perfect combination between the sweetness of the chocolate and the cream and the saltiness of the butter, and it was. So. Good. 

He didn’t realize that he had eaten it all, and pouted once the plate in front of him was empty. Aziraphale saw it and laughed, though not cruelly.

“Go on then, buy another one. My treat”, Aziraphale told him. “But try another flavor. Any flavor you like.”

Gabriel loathed to move away from Aziraphale, but the temptation of another eclair was too great for him to ignore. In the end, he decided to stand up from his chair and head back to the counter, intending to return to Aziraphale quickly.

However, the cafe had a wide selection of eclairs; matcha eclairs, lemon eclairs, red velvet eclairs, caramel eclairs, and many, many more. Gabriel grumbled as he stood before the glass counter, tapping his chin as he tried to choose one.

That was when his nose caught a whiff of coffee.

“Is this one coffee-flavored?” Gabriel asked the lady behind the counter, pointing at an eclair covered in brown frosting.

“It is. It’s one of our most popular one”, the lady answered. “Do you want this one, sir?”

Gabriel enjoyed coffee like a starving man enjoyed food — he  _ needed _ it, at least a cup of it during lunch break to go through the rest of the day. While he knew that every health article he’d read had suggested reducing the amount of coffee he drank, he couldn’t help but indulge in an extra cup or two every now and then.

And they made coffee-flavored eclairs?

“Yes, please”, Gabriel answered almost too quickly, and the lady took it out and set it on a plate. Gabriel was practically  _ skipping _ as he went back to Aziraphale.

“Found something that you like?” Aziraphale asked. 

“I found a coffee-flavored one”, Gabriel showed it off as he sat down, proud of his finding.

“Ooh, I don’t think I’ve tried that one before”, Aziraphale said, brightening up. “Do you mind if I try a bite?”

“Of course I don’t mind”, Gabriel returned, grinning.

Aziraphale scooped up a forkful of the coffee-flavored eclair and moaned appreciatively as he ate it. Gabriel’s smile widened — Aziraphale liked the food he picked! He could never be prouder of himself in that moment.

“It’s good! Here, try it yourself”, Aziraphale offered another forkful of the eclair to Gabriel.

Gabriel stared at it, blushing, before he took it into his mouth.

Just like the chocolate-flavored one, the coffee-flavored one was good. Better, even. But that was not why Gabriel enjoyed it. No, it was the fact that Aziraphale had offered it, using his own fork, that made Gabriel feel like he was back in Heaven.

“It’s very good”, he told Aziraphale.

“Isn’t it?” Aziraphale wiggled happily. “This cafe is just so lovely. The food is good, and the ambiance is nice. I’m glad that I got to share it with you, Gabriel my dear.”

“I’m, ah— I’m glad that you brought me here”, Gabriel returned.

They ate the rest of the food and washed it all off with the tea. Somehow the tea was still perfectly warm, and Gabriel suspected that a miracle was at play. He said nothing of it, and Aziraphale continued to prattle about the various food he’d tried in this particular cafe.

“Next time we’re here, you absolutely must try the macarons”, Aziraphale said, and warmth filled Gabriel’s chest.

_ Next time _ . 

Gabriel brightened. He couldn’t wait for the next time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more discussion about body image issue later in the chapter

Work was rather slow that day, and Gabriel kept zoning out, staring into the distance and sighing.

He still couldn’t release Aziraphale’s image from the forefront of his mind. Everything that Aziraphale had done earlier was still burned in his mind’s eye; Aziraphale gesturing as he talked, Aziraphale eating with such passion, Aziraphale’s finger swiping across the corner of Gabriel’s lips.

Gabriel felt his entire body warming up at the memory, and let out another sigh.

He could barely get any work done like this. He was supposed to be restocking the shelves, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Aziraphale. It was infuriating.

He didn’t know why he was feeling like this towards Aziraphale. Was it because he considered him a friend? He considered Crowley a friend too, especially after their prank war. But he didn’t feel this way about the demon. 

Was it because Aziraphale was an angel and Gabriel was an ex-angel, so he had stronger affinity toward Aziraphale? That didn’t sound right. It didn’t make sense, first of all. He was a human now, regardless of his origins. Maybe he was wrong. 

With another sigh, Gabriel put the thoughts away. It was only several minutes until his shift ended , so he had to hurry up already with it. He restocked the canned food section furiously, grumbling when one of the cans refused to sit right. 

When he was done, he put his hands on his hips, feeling pleased to himself.

He was walking through the aisles, looking for things that needed doing before he could go home, when he saw… something. It sat in the novelty ceramic decoration section, staring at him with its wide blue eyes.

It was a cherub figurine.

At least, it was supposed to depict a cherub, though it looked vastly different to what cherubs actually looked like. The actual cherubs had more heads, for a start. Gabriel had rarely seen cherubs, back in the Head Office, but he was pretty sure they didn’t look like some human infant with wings.

But this one did, and it had white-blond curls and bright blue eyes that reminded Gabriel of a certain ex-Principality. It even had rosy plump cheeks and a smile that was a tad to sweet. Gabriel stared at it for a long moment (although it couldn’t be longer than half a minute maximum).

“Sir, you’re heading home?” Jemima, one of the cashiers asked him.

“In a moment, yes”, Gabriel answered. Out of an impulse, he grabbed the cherub figurine from its place on the aisle and handed it to her. “Ring this up for me, will you?”

“Sure, Sir”, Jemima answered, looking confused at being handed a ceramic figurine all of a sudden, but did as she was asked anyway.

—

The figurine now sat on Gabriel’s bedside table, smiling at him by his alarm clock. 

Gabriel stared at it when he was about to go to bed that night, before giggling madly to himself. It was as if Aziraphale was there to smile at him before he went to bed at night and after he woke up in the morning.

That was when his phone rang so suddenly.

Gabriel jolted in the bed, before rushing to pick it up. Aside from five other people, only people from work knew about his phone number. None of them would call so late in the night, unless it was absolutely an emergency.

But the name on the screen said ‘Aziraphale’. Gabriel’s heart raced as he picked up the phone. 

“H-hello? I mean, hello?” he said more firmly after clearing his throat. “What is it, Aziraphale?”

“Oh, Gabriel! I’m terribly sorry for calling this late at night”, Aziraphale said. “But I just remembered that I need to visit a book fair tomorrow evening. Crowley doesn’t want to come — he hates this kind of events. But perhaps you want to accompany me?”

Tomorrow evening, Gabriel had planned to stay at home and do some laundry.  _ Oh well _ , he supposed he could do it another day — especially since Aziraphale had asked him out so nicely. There was no way he would be able to refuse the invitation, even though he didn’t quite know what a book fair was. He supposed it had to do with books?

“Sure. Tomorrow evening, right?” Gabriel asked, just to make sure.

“Yes, I’ll pick you up at seven. We can take a cab there”, Aziraphale answered.

“Seven sounds good”, Gabriel confirmed. 

“Alright. Toodle-oo!” Aziraphale said, and Gabriel just could practically hear happiness dripping from his voice. He could imagine Aziraphale wiggling in apparent happiness, and that made his chest feel warm.

Once the line went dead, Gabriel found himself smiling so widely that it ached.

“We’re going to a book fair!” he told the cherub statue sitting on the bedside table. The statue, of course, said nothing back.

—

The book fair, as it turned out, was so dreadfully boring.

Don’t get him wrong, Gabriel had nothing against books. He didn’t hate them, but also he didn’t overly love them. He enjoyed reading to pass the time. The people from the House of St. Barnabas had taught him how to use a mobile phone, and since then he’d read lots of internet articles, to know the world he lived in better. 

If Gabriel wanted to be honest, he preferred e-books over physical books whenever he had time to read. They were convenient, and they were readily available at his fingertips. 

But Aziraphale’s love for books, especially antique books, was on another level entirely.

The plump angel practically lit up like the sun as he entered the venue. Once inside, he flitted around shelves upon shelves of antique books. Gabriel liked to think that he was rather agile, but even he was having a hard time keeping up with Aziraphale. 

Though he knew nothing about books, Gabriel knew that some of them looked practically ancient, if well-kept. Aziraphale’s eyes lit up whenever he saw one of these books. Every now and then, he would mumble out the book title under his breath with reverence that should only be reserved to prayers to the Lord. 

Still, he was not buying anything yet.

Gabriel allowed Aziraphale to drag him around as he browsed the books and prattled about anything and everything. He listened to Aziraphale’s prattling intently, even though lots of the context were lost to him. But Aziraphale’s hand was warm in his own, and so he focused his attention to that instead.

“So? What do you think, Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked once they took a break in a nook. Two hours had passed since they got there, and Aziraphale didn’t seem to be done yet. Gabriel only hoped that it wouldn’t take all night for Aziraphale to decide on what to buy.

“It’s very… fascinating”, Gabriel answered diplomatically.

Aziraphale huffed in annoyance. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, you know. I’d rather have you be brutally honest”, he chided.

“It’s not for me, I have to admit”, Gabriel said, feeling his shoulders sag. “But you love this, and I can tell that you’re very passionate about this. I like hearing you talk about the thing you love.”

Aziraphale blushed, but he stared at Gabriel oddly.

“What?” Gabriel asked, couldn’t help but feel self-conscious under the angel’s gaze.

“You never cared about what I loved, back when you were an angel”, Aziraphale said. “You were rude and dismissive, rather.”

“Clearly I was an asshole, back when I was an angel”, Gabriel joked. That made Aziraphale chuckle.

“Being a human… It’s a humbling experience”, Gabriel continued. “Living amongst humans, and you and Crowley… It’s changed me. For the better, I hope. There were so many things to learn about this place, so many things to see.”

“I’m glad that you’ve changed”, Aziraphale said, before a frown forming on his face. “But I still don’t think you deserve it. No one deserves what you went through.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I wouldn’t have learnt about humanity, then. I wouldn’t have learnt about what makes this place so special that you and Crowley would defend it from being destroyed.”

“Still”, Aziraphale said. “You don’t deserve to be made mortal.”

Gabriel didn’t know how to answer that. He preferred not to think about his impending mortality, whenever possible. That was still an ongoing project between him and his therapist.

“Let’s just focus on the now, yeah?” he eventually returned. “Now, I like spending time with you.”

Aziraphale blushed prettily. “I like spending time with you too”, he said. “You’ve been a great friend to me, Gabriel.”

Disappointment settled oddly in Gabriel’s stomach, but he didn’t understand it. Why was he feeling disappointed? He was friends with Aziraphale, and he was having a great time with him.

Shouldn’t that be enough?

—

Once they returned from the book fair, Aziraphale insisted on taking him out to dinner as a thank you for keeping him company. 

Gabriel tried to refuse — it was already too late for eating, and it would mess up his diet. But one look at Aziraphale’s bright blue eyes, and his resolve crumbled very much like a particularly flaky pastry.

They ate somewhere close to Gabriel’s flat: a pub that he would have missed any other time and only now he noticed its presence. It was small but cozy, and Aziraphale claimed that it served the best chocolate bread pudding.

“Go on, then. Order anything you like. My treat”, Aziraphale told him, and Gabriel’s resolve crumbled even further. 

_ Oh well _ , he was feeling hungry anyway — he hadn’t eaten anything before going to the book fair, and he supposed it would be bad if he started skipping meals.

In the end, he ordered fish and chips because he was curious. He’d heard his coworkers talk about it sometimes, but he’d never actually tried it before. From his understanding, the meal consisted of fried fish and potatoes, but that was it.

“I never tried the fish and chips here, but I’ve heard promising things”, Aziraphale told him.

Then, when the waitress placed the food in front of him, Gabriel’s eyes bulged.

The portion was so  _ big _ , first of all — there was no way he could finish it on his own. Secondly, it looked so greasy and unhealthy, that it made Gabriel cringe. Now he regretted indulging in his curiosity. However, he couldn’t  _ not _ eat it, not when Aziraphale was paying for it.

As if reading his thoughts, Aziraphale laughed warmly. “I can help you with it, if you want me to?”

“Please”, Gabriel managed to choke out, and Aziraphale asked the waitress for another set of cutlery.

Gabriel let Aziraphale take the first bite of fish. He sliced into it, a puff of steam wafted into the air, and he shoved it into his mouth, before moaning appreciatively. 

“It’s good!” Aziraphale told him. “Not too oily. And the fish tastes fresh.”

Now he’d got Gabriel curious.

Without another word, Gabriel took a mouthful of it, and hummed. It was warm, crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. It also had just the right amount of salt and vinegar. Aziraphale was right, it was  _ good _ .

Within minutes, the fish and chips were gone — and if Aziraphale noticed that Gabriel had eaten most of it, he said nothing. Instead, Aziraphale waved at the waitress and, since Gabriel refused the offer of dessert, ordered the chocolate bread pudding for himself.

“May I ask you something, Gabriel?” Aziraphale asked after taking a bite of his pudding.

“Sure?” Gabriel was unsure. Aziraphale sounded so serious and it made him a bit worried. He placed his glass of cold water on the table and waited.

“Why do you insist on eating healthily, even though you find no joy in it?” Aziraphale asked eventually.

Gabriel was about to counter that he  _ did _ find joy in eating healthily, but that would be a lie. While he enjoyed a bowl of good old oatmeal or salad, it paled in comparison to coffee-flavored eclairs or creamy chicken stuffed cannelloni. He found that he  _ liked _ eating well, even though the food he ate was not necessarily healthy. It was an indulgence, a temptation, that he should not allow himself to have. A sin.

“Because…” Gabriel was about to recite words of some wise humans or even Bible verses, when he stopped. Aziraphale’s blue eyes bore into his soul, and Gabriel found himself suddenly unable to lie. “Because I want to be the best human anyone can ever be.”

Aziraphale let out a sigh.

“Gabriel, I know that you’ve always been like this, even back when you were an angel”, he said. “You felt like you had to set an example of what being a good angel should be. But you’re not an angel anymore.”

Gabriel felt a stab of pain at the reminder, but he didn’t know what to say. And besides, Aziraphale was not done yet.

“You don’t have to set an example anymore. You’re human now, you are your own person. You’re free to enjoy the food that our Lord put into the Earth, you’re  _ allowed _ to enjoy them”, Aziraphale said. “So eat, and exercise later if you must. But it’s alright to eat, I promise you.”

“But what if I will become unhealthy? Or, or if I become fat?” Gabriel asked, his voice shaking.

“Do you think being fat is abhorrent?” Aziraphale asked back, and  _ oh _ , Gabriel thought.

“N-no!” Gabriel answered quickly. “But you… you’re perfect, and I’m just…” A human. Imperfect.

“Nobody is perfect, except for the Lord. Even I have my own imperfections”, Aziraphale said, as if he could read his mind. Maybe he could, being an angel and all. “I admit I… ah, overindulge, at times. But this is my corporeal form, my choice. You too have a choice, Gabriel.”

“What if I want to choose to eat healthily?” Gabriel asked.

“Then I will respect your decision, and not take you on these outings anymore”, Aziraphale answered. “We can still go out, if you want to. But you don’t have to eat what you don’t want to eat.”

Gabriel frowned. He found that he didn’t want that.

He enjoyed his outings with Aziraphale, enjoyed seeing the angel light up as he suggested what kind of food they could eat. He enjoyed eating whatever Aziraphale suggested. The food had been great, and Gabriel loved it despite any concerns he had about his health. Most of all, he enjoyed spending his time with Aziraphale.

“I’ll think about it”, Gabriel settled with eventually. “Thank you for your insight. I… really,  _ really _ appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Gabriel my dear”, Aziraphale returned with a smile. “And if you have anything in your mind, anything at all, you know you can always come to me, right?”

“I know. Thank you”, Gabriel told him.

Aziraphale’s smile was blinding, before he went back to his pudding. Gabriel watched him eat, suddenly feeling very warm and happy.

—

The next morning, Gabriel stared at the box of oatmeal in his pantry, before deciding that, no, he didn’t have to eat it anymore. Instead, he went to buy an eclair and a cup of frappuccino on his way to work.

  
They tasted  _ absolutely divine _ .


	6. Chapter 6

“How are you this week, Gabriel?” Dr. Smith asked, just as Gabriel sat down on the chair in front of her. 

“Great, actually”, Gabriel told her. “I met with my friend a couple of times. We had breakfast together, and yesterday I accompanied him to a book fair.”

“This is the same friend who you wronged in the past, correct?” Dr. Smith asked as she looked over his files. “Last week we talked about forgiving yourself. How is that working for you?”

“I— I think, I’m ready to let it go. I mean, he’s already forgiven me, and that’s all that matters, right?” Gabriel asked back, but he wasn’t waiting for an answer. “We… talked a bit, and he said… He said I don’t deserve what I went through. With being cast out by my, I mean, my family.”

“Do you know what happened? With your family?”

Gabriel licked his lips. He hated to lie, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “I— A bit. One of my, ah, my sisters came to warn me. You see, I did something bad, I don’t know what, but my family is very, very cross with me. My sister warned me about them wanting to get back at me.”

“That sounds very bad”, Dr. Smith sounded serious. “Do you think they will do something… drastic? Do you need a cop’s help in case they do something drastic?”

“I don’t know”, Gabriel answered with a shrug. “I— I really don’t know.”

“It’s alright. Your memory is starting to come back piece by piece, and that’s good”, Dr. Smith reassured him. “Sometimes, patients with amnesia are able to recover their memories by being with someone familiar to them. Being with your friend certainly seems to be helping. You’ve made such great progress since meeting with him.”

Gabriel smiled at her and resisted the urge to bounce in his seat. He loved when Dr. Smith told him that he’d made good progress — it made him feel that he’d done something right. 

“Do you have anything else you want to share before our session ends, Gabriel?” Dr. Smith asked.

“Yes, um. You see, I feel… really happy when I’m with my friend. Or, well, even when I’m not with him, but I’m thinking about him. It makes me warm and giddy and… I just want to ask, is that normal?” Gabriel asked back.

Something cold and hard flitted across Dr. Smith’s face, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It disappeared when Gabriel blinked, and warmth returned to her face.

“It’s completely normal to think about your friend that way, Gabriel”, she said with a kind smile.

Oh, well. That was reassuring.

The session ended, and Gabriel was prescribed more medications. They helped to control his anger issues, and he was pleased to find that he only needed half the previous dosage now. That meant he was getting better at this whole being a human thing.

And that was good, right?

—

There was a church near his flat. He always visited it after his sessions with Dr. Smith, to remind him about his life before he was turned into a human. Sometimes, he was so tangled up in his lies about losing his memories that he needed a reminder to keep him grounded.

The church was small and old, and — there had to be a joke he had yet to understand here — it had stained glass displaying the Annunciation. Gabriel had never liked having his physical form depicted in human art — their depictions rarely matched his actual physical corporation anyway. 

Now that he was no longer an angel of the Lord, those depictions only served as a reminder to him, of his failings and his pride — oh, how he’d been prideful and vain, it was a wonder that he’d managed to stay an angel.  _ Well, no more _ . He had theorized that it was his pride and vanity that had gotten him cast out and turned into a mere mortal. Aziraphale’s execution was just the last straw that broke that metaphorical camel’s back.

Sometimes Gabriel wondered if it would’ve been better to have Fallen.

Gabriel shuddered. He hadn’t meant to think about this stuff, but he supposed he couldn’t help it. Every time he looked at his depiction on the colorful glass, he wondered if he could return to his former glory. 

But the more time he spent being a human, the more he doubted it.

It had been four months already. Four months since he became a human.

Perhaps this was permanent, being a human. Perhaps he would live and die. After his death… what next? Perhaps he would be judged on his merits and sins. If his merits outweighed his sins, perhaps he could be welcomed back into the Kingdom of God.

It wasn’t fair, Gabriel thought. He’d lived for thousands of years. He’d watched civilizations rise and fall. And now he would die in, what, thirty years? Forty? It was so short, and it was scary. The uncertainty of his afterlife scared him. Would he go to Heaven? Would he go to Hell? 

He had brushed off the topic when Aziraphale mentioned it, claiming that he preferred to live in the present. But he couldn’t help it — couldn’t help but realize how fleeting his life was. 

Was this how other humans felt? Realizing that their lives were so short and quick and there was nothing they could do about it? If so, they were stronger than he’d ever thought.

“Well, well, well, well, well”, a voice came from behind him, and Gabriel turned, only to find Sandalphon standing a few meters behind him.

Gabriel immediately sobered up from his maudlin thoughts, and faced the angel with barely concealed fear.

“Look what I found — a former Archangel turned  _ mortal _ ”, Sandalphon spat the word ‘mortal’ as if it were bile.

“Hello Sandalphon”, Gabriel tried to keep his voice casual, even though he wanted to flee and hide from the angel.

After centuries of working together, Gabriel knew Sandalphon — knew in the way he knew the other angels under his command. Sandalphon was not one for words. Taunts and subtle insults were not his forte; no, what he preferred was fists and brute strength. If he was here, that meant he wanted to hurt Gabriel,  _ physically _ . And Gabriel, now a mortal, knew that there was no way he could survive that encounter.

And Sandalphon knew this too. He cracked his knuckles, as if readying to attack. Gabriel had to think of a way out of this if he wanted to live, and he had to do it  _ quick _ .

“You can’t hurt me!” Gabriel cried out, and Sandalphon paused. “Smiting a human has been forbidden for two thousand years and — well, I  _ am _ a human now.”

“Oh, trust me. I don’t need to smite you to hurt you”, Sandalphon’s cruel smirk grew. 

“Why, though?” Gabriel asked, stalling. He didn’t even know why he was stalling — perhaps he hoped that someone would come to rescue him.

“Why what?” Sandalphon paused, clearly confused.

“Why do you want to hurt me?” Gabriel asked again. “Haven’t I been punished enough?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Sandalphon growled. Suddenly, he was in front of Gabriel, his fist clutching at the front of Gabriel’s jumper. “I looked up to you. I  _ trusted _ you! And look what that got me!”

Sandalphon didn’t look like he was willing to talk further and raised his fist. Gabriel closed his eyes, waiting for the incoming attack. Well… if he died now, at least it would be quick, and his fate would be sealed. He would either go to Heaven or Hell. No need to wait for thirty-forty years.

“Oh, hello”, another voice came from the church’s entrance. 

Standing behind Sandalphon was Aziraphale.

He was holding a cane, brandishing it like a sword, and Gabriel had never felt safer around Aziraphale than in that moment. He knew Aziraphale was well-versed in swordfighting, what with him being entrusted a flaming sword before.

“This does not concern you, traitor! Leave now!” Sandalphon sneered as he let Gabriel go. Gabriel immediately backed away from him, putting a distance between them.

“Well, you see. After my failed execution, I took up the mantle of protecting mortal affairs”, Aziraphale said calmly, as if he were having a chat about the weather with Sandalphon. “And this one right here just happens to be a mortal. So it is in my interests to keep him safe, you see.”

And then he stared down Sandalphon, his grip on his cane was so tight that Gabriel could see his knuckles whiten. While Sandalphon had been demoted from his rank as an Archangel, Aziraphale had never been demoted from his rank of Principality — he’d just had his name redacted from files and reports. In that moment Gabriel knew, just as Sandalphon and Aziraphale knew, that Aziraphale outranked and outpowered Sandalphon.

With a blinding light, Sandalphon disappeared from the church, leaving Gabriel alone with Aziraphale. Gabriel felt his knees grow weak and he sank to one of the pews.

“Are you alright, my dear?” Aziraphale asked, turning his attention to Gabriel.

“Yes, just—” Gabriel paused, swallowing. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so scared in my life before. I thought I was going to die for real.”

“Well, aren’t you glad that I’m stalking you now?” Aziraphale leaned on his cane.

Gabriel sighed. “Thank you for coming, regardless. I doubt that he’ll quit, though.”

“Well, that just means I’ll need to stalk you better”, Aziraphale said with a smile and tilt of his head. 

Gabriel laughed, unsure if Aziraphale was serious or not. He probably was, that absolute madman.

“Well, do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow? I was thinking we could go to a Chinese place. What do you think?” Aziraphale asked, and Gabriel was glad for the change of topic.

“Sure, Chinese sounds good” Gabriel answered. “Seven o’clock?”

“Don’t forget to wear warm clothes”, Aziraphale said, before turning and walking out of the church, twirling the cane in his hand.

Gabriel took a moment to compose himself, before he exited the church and began to walk home.

— 

Somewhat unrelated to his encounter with Sandalphon, his outings with Aziraphale became a routine. Gabriel would come to the bookshop, sometimes unannounced, and they would go have breakfast or dinner together.

Sometimes Crowley would come with them. When he didn’t come, Gabriel was just a tad worried — after all, Crowley was still a demon, and a demon up to no good would not be a good thing. But when he brought it up with Aziraphale, he simply laughed.

“He sleeps”, Aziraphale told him. “He enjoys sleeping just like you enjoy jogging and I enjoy eating. It’s one of the few simple pleasures he allows himself to have.”

“I enjoy eating too”, Gabriel corrected with a pout.

“I know you do, Gabriel my dear. Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing these outings, hmm?” Aziraphale swayed happily, eyes wide.

“Also, aren’t you two— What’s the word?” Gabriel tried to find the word. What were Aziraphale and Crowley to each other? Were they friends? Were they lovers?

“Partners?” Aziraphale asked.

“Yeah, that. You two are partners, right? Don’t you want to sleep with him, just like he eats with you?” Gabriel asked.

“I know you meant sleeping as in actual act of sleep, instead of, you know?” Aziraphale said with a wink. “But I cannot help but think that you’re asking me if I have sex with him.”

Oh.  _ OH _ . That wasn’t what he meant. Gabriel felt like his head would explode from embarrassment.

“N-no! That wasn’t what I—” 

“I know, my dear. I know”, Aziraphale said, letting out a small chuckle.

However, Gabriel couldn’t help but be curious. How did that even work? An angel and a demon — surely they would cancel each other’s essence? Wouldn’t they burn each other?

“Did you, though?” he asked, before he could stop himself. “You and Crowley? I mean. Do that?”

“Only sometimes”, Aziraphale blushed and giggled, actually  _ giggled _ . God, he was so cute. “We enjoy being with each other. But we also have our own separate lives, you know? Which is why I don’t disturb him when he sleeps.”

“I… see”, Gabriel was still confused. 

They stopped talking when they entered the Indian place that Aziraphale insisted Gabriel absolutely had to try. Scents of spices and herbs hit Gabriel immediately, and it made his mouth water.

They sat at one of the tables for two provided, and browsed the menu. On Aziraphale’s suggestion, Gabriel ordered chicken tikka masala and mango juice, while Aziraphale ordered rogan josh and orange juice. This way, they could taste each other’s dishes, and the prospect of eating from Aziraphale’s spoon made Gabriel’s stomach flutter.

“I know you haven’t tried spicy food before, so I thought it best if we started with the milder options first”, Aziraphale said.

Once all the food was served, Gabriel dug into his. It was creamy and spicy, in a way that surprised him. The chicken was soft, and the sauce was thick and flavorful, with multiple layered tastes that exploded in his mouth.

“It’s so good!” Gabriel praised, before taking another spoonful of rice, chicken, and sauce. It was spicy, but not hot, just like Aziraphale had said.

“I assume you like it?” Aziraphale smiled.

“I  _ love _ it!” Gabriel answered, beaming.

“Cleanse your mouth with your drink first, then try my rogan josh”, Aziraphale told him.

Gabriel did as he was told, and Aziraphale offered him his own food on a spoon. Face heating up, Gabriel opened his mouth and allowed Aziraphale to spoon feed him.

“How does it taste?” Aziraphale asked.

Gabriel chewed his food and tasted it. The first thing he noticed was the spiciness of it. It was different from his tikka masala, slightly hotter, and Gabriel could feel his mouth burn pleasantly from it.

“A bit hot”, Gabriel told Aziraphale. “But good. The taste is very strong.”

“That’s Indian food for you”, Aziraphale returned. “All their food has this kick that you can’t help but crave more of.”

“I can’t imagine going back to oatmeal and salad after this”, Gabriel joked. Now that he’d acquired a taste for delicious food beyond his usual oatmeal-pasta-salad routine, he couldn’t imagine going back to it. His food before tasted so bland and boring compared to this.

“Well, I’m glad”, Aziraphale said with a small huff. “It’s good that you strive to live healthily, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try food that makes you happy. And you’re happy, aren’t you?”

“Mmm”, Gabriel hummed happily with a mouthful of tikka masala. Once he swallowed, he smiled at Aziraphale and told him, “Very happy. Especially since I can spend some time with you.”

Aziraphale blushed, but he smiled. “I’m glad. I like spending time with you too, Gabriel my dear.”

Gabriel beamed.

As they ate, they talked about the food and the service, and everything else — mostly Aziraphale did the talking. He talked about various Indian food he’d tried when he visited India for work a couple of centuries ago, and Gabriel hummed and nodded as he listened to Aziraphale’s prattling. 

They were done eating and Gabriel insisted on paying for the food. As a thank you, Aziraphale walked Gabriel home, and they talked more about food and everything else, about the cafes and restaurants he’d tried before. Gabriel listened intently as Aziraphale gestured with his hands, and felt warmth filling up his chest.

All of a sudden, Gabriel had an urge to hold Aziraphale’s hand — it was just  _ right there _ , and Gabriel couldn’t resist.

So he did it.

Aziraphale didn’t pull his hand away, and Gabriel felt like his heart was beating too hard in his chest. Aziraphale’s hand was warm and soft, and Gabriel squeezed just slightly harder, only to receive a squeeze back. When Aziraphale smiled at him, it was as if a heavenly choir sang inside his head.

Gabriel returned the smile, if a bit shyly.

They reached Gabriel’s flat in no time. Gabriel stood just a little bit straighter and turned to face Aziraphale.

“Thank you for taking me out”, he said. “I— I had fun.”

“Me too. Um.” Aziraphale licked his lips, and Gabriel couldn’t help but stare. 

And then, Aziraphale stood on his tiptoes and pressed his lips against Gabriel’s.

It was just a quick peck, but Gabriel felt like it stole his breath away. He blinked, and felt so utterly confused. He liked it, he really did, and it felt really good and it was so much more than he’d hoped for, but—

“But… I thought—” Gabriel paused. “I— I thought, we’re friends?”

“Oh”, was all Aziraphale said. He sounded surprised and disappointed. “I thought I read the signals correctly. But if you only want to be friends…”

“Is this… Is this what being friends is like?” Gabriel asked. “I, I mean, I always feel so happy when I’m around you, or when I’m not around you but I’m thinking about you. And I always think about you, even when we’re not together. Is that weird?”

“Oh, Gabriel”, Aziraphale said almost with a coo. “Am I going too fast for you?”

“Too fast… for what?” Gabriel asked, frowning. 

“For this. For us”, Aziraphale answered. 

“I don’t understand”, Gabriel returned. He was confused. Was what he was feeling wrong? Did he not want to be friends with Aziraphale?

“It’s alright”, Aziraphale smiled, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Their hands were still linked together. “Take your time to understand your feelings. I’m not going anywhere.”

And then he let Gabriel’s hand go. Gabriel felt something like loss filling his chest. Aziraphale turned and he was about to leave, but Gabriel called after him.

“Can I see you again tomorrow?” he asked.

“Of course, Gabriel my dear”, was Aziraphale’s answer, before he walked away. Gabriel waited until he truly couldn’t see Aziraphale anymore, before entering the building.


	7. Chapter 7

It was five in the morning when Gabriel woke up. He didn’t know why he’d woken up so early. He stared at his alarm clock as if it were its fault, but it wasn’t even beeping yet, and wouldn’t be for another two hours. 

It felt like he’d been having a very nice dream before he’d woken up. He couldn’t remember what, but his chest was still filled with warmth and softness and tenderness and—  _ oh… _

He knew it immediately when he saw the cherub figurine on the bedside table. He recognized the feeling. It was the same as the one he felt when he was with Aziraphale; the soft and warm fluttering feeling filling his entire body. Only now he knew what it was.

It was love.

He was in love with Aziraphale.

As an angel, he was a being of love —  _ was _ being the key word. He used to be able to sense love and radiate love — but his love had hardened over millennia in the Head Office. Love had no place there, only cold efficiency to ensure that everything went according to the Great Plan. 

Now that he was human, the Great Plan was not his concern anymore.

It was ironic, he supposed, that now he was a human, he was free to love. To love life, other humans, and all of Her creation. But, of course, the one he loved the most was not a fellow human — no, of course it had to be Aziraphale. Sweet and kind Aziraphale. How could he not fall in love with him?

Almost immediately, his mind was filled with images of Aziraphale. Of Aziraphale talking about his favorite things, the way he swayed and wiggled as he talked. Of Aziraphale tasting his favorite foods: the way his face lit up and he would moan deliciously. Gabriel blushed as he remembered the moan and felt something stirinside his chest, warm pulse that was foreign and odd.

With a sigh, Gabriel rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. It seemed that he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep. He slid off his bed so as to change into his tracksuit, before stumbling to the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

The coffee warmed up his body and made him more awake, more alert.

It was still too early for a run, though Gabriel didn’t see anything wrong with exercising early in the morning. After all, it was what the health articles he’d read 

recommended. Not this early, perhaps, but still. After taking his phone and his wallet with him, he headed out of his flat.

The sun had yet to rise when Gabriel got out of the building and the sky was still dark purple above his head. He took a deep, deep breath, letting his chest be filled with fresh morning air, before he started stretching. His muscles protested at the pull at first, before they flexed and stretched enough to go with the movement of his body.

Then, he started his jog to the park. One foot in front of another, over and over, he let the pace lull him into a rhythm . Once he reached the park, his body was sufficiently warmed up so he started doing laps around the pond.

It was a beautiful morning, Gabriel thought. The park was empty of other park-goers and the morning mist hung lazily by his ankles. The air was fresh but cold, chill seeping into his skin like persistent fever — and Gabriel regretted not wearing a jacket over his tracksuit. That reminded him, he needed to buy more jackets before the air started getting colder.

There was a store that sold second-hand clothes near Aziraphale’s bookshop. Gabriel made a mental note to visit it later after his shift. Perhaps he would buy two or three new jackets, if he could find a couple that suited his taste. Perhaps a new pair of trousers too, if he could find any. He was rather taller than most humans, standing over one hundred and eighty centimeters, so it was rather hard to find a pair of trousers that accommodated his height.

It also wouldn’t hurt to visit Aziraphale once he was done, and perhaps they could go out for dinner together. Again, Aziraphale’s happy face flashed in his mind.

With that in mind, Gabriel’s mood lifted.

He continued his exercise.

—

After his shift, Gabriel went on with his plan. As it turned out, there was a new store opening not too far from the bookshop. It was a little store with a nondescript yet elegant storefront, and he was curious because people seemed to be queueing up to get inside. So, after Gabriel was finished with his clothes-shopping (he’d bought three winter coats and a pair of pants), he entered the new store, and found it sold chocolate.

A chocolate sculpture of the Houses of Parliament greeted him immediately on entry to the store. Gabriel admired at it for a moment, before looking around the shop. Bite-sized chocolate bits and slices of chocolate cakes were displayed in glass cases, illuminated by warm yellow light that made the whole thing look even more scrumptious. The whole time Gabriel was in the store, he couldn’t help but think how Aziraphale would  _ love _ being in there, swaying happily as he marveled at everything.

He ended up buying a box of chocolate truffles, which was a little bit expensive but he didn’t mind at all. All that mattered was Aziraphale’s happy face when Gabriel presented the chocolate to him. Perhaps if Aziraphale was amenable, they could eat them together.

With a spring in his step, he bounced to Aziraphale’s bookshop.

He noticed the Bentley outside the bookshop first — Crowley had to be inside, he thought. Something ugly stirred in his stomach, like a monster waking up from its deep, deep slumber, but he shook the feeling away. It didn’t make sense — Crowley visited Aziraphale often and Gabriel had never had a problem with it before. With that in mind, he entered the bookshop, the door of which was unlocked— 

— only to find Aziraphale and Crowley were kissing on the couch.

It felt as if the monster inside him roared and he couldn’t hear over the rushing in his ears. Anger rose inside his chest and Gabriel was aware of the signs — but he refused to acknowledge them. He wanted to go after Crowley, break him, destroy him for daring to touch Aziraphale.

But Aziraphale — sweet, kind Aziraphale was staring at him with his glassy blue eyes, and Gabriel’s anger left him all of a sudden, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted. And then came rational thought— 

_ What am I doing? _

What was he doing indeed. Aziraphale was with Crowley, he  _ knew _ this — Aziraphale even told him they were  _ partners _ . But then Aziraphale kissed him, and Gabriel— he didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know what was happening, he only knew that he  _ wanted _ Aziraphale. It was all that mattered, in his mind.

But Aziraphale was with Crowley. They had history together — six thousand years of history that Gabriel could never hope to replicate, would never be able to replicate now that he was mortal. How could he compete with that? It was impossible.

So why was Gabriel thinking this way for Aziraphale?

“G-Gabriel”, Aziraphale stuttered. “I didn’t know you’re coming.”

“It’s— it’s okay. I’m just—” Gabriel felt like he was floating, untethered. “I— I need to go.”

And so he went, leaving his heart shattered in pieces on the bookshop floor. He didn’t know what to do with the box of chocolates he was carrying, so he stuffed it into a rubbish bin outside the bookshop.

He needed a drink. Preferably something strong that would shut up the monster roaring inside his chest.

—

Gabriel was not having a good time at work.

He had drunk at a pub before going home, last night, where he had promptly passed out on the couch. When he’d woken up, he had a crick in his neck and a hangover that was even worse than his first time experiencing it. He had felt awful, terrible even, both physically and emotionally.

After taking ibuprofen and drinking lots and lots of water, he went to work. They did wonders for his headache, but Gabriel was still distraught.

It was like trying to work while the world around him came crashing down. No, that was not correct — it was  _ his _ world that had come crashing down, while the world around him still kept on going, kept on turning. It was bizarre. How could everyone still smile while he was feeling so absolutely horrible? How could everyone be happy while he felt like he would never recover from this?

It hurt, what he was feeling. It hurt so much. He’d never felt like this before and he wanted it to stop. He wanted to run, somewhere far from Aziraphale and Crowley. He wanted to pretend that none of it had ever happened. He wanted to sleep and never wake up.

Above all — and he would never admit this — he couldn’t stand watching Aziraphale and Crowley be happy without him. He wanted to ruin it, ruin their relationship and take Aziraphale for himself. But he knew that he couldn’t do that. No, if he did that, if he took Aziraphale from Crowley, Aziraphale would never forgive him.

Above all, Aziraphale would never be happy again without Crowley, and Gabriel didn’t want that either.

Gabriel let out a sigh again when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Turning, he saw the store manager, Sebastian, approaching him.

“Still not done reshelving?” Sebastian asked, disdain clear in his voice.

Gabriel resisted the urge to sigh. He knew the guy hated him, especially since he’d gotten off with little to no repercussions after attacking Sebastian during the bagged rice incident. Sebastian had been trying to fire him ever since, but Gabriel had been nothing but a model employee.

At least, he tried to be, but it was hard to focus on his work when he was highly distracted. He didn’t want Sebastian to think he was slacking off, yet the proof of it was piling up in front of him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll get right to it”, Gabriel answered, before moving to shelve the bottled drinks. He was trying to focus his attention on the shelf in front of him instead of the man behind him.

“You do know, Gabriel, that the only reason I haven’t fired you is because those people from that  _ homeless shelter _ keep breathing down my neck”, Sebastian said, so Gabriel stopped his work and listened to his boss.

Gabriel kept his gaze low, avoiding his boss’ stare, even as anger rose inside his chest at the way Sebastian said ‘homeless shelter’, as if it were a vile word. He tried to calm himself down, counting down from ten mentally. It wouldn’t do to repeat the bagged rice incident. 

No, he absolutely couldn’t repeat the bagged rice incident. That would mean prison, and Gabriel didn’t want to be incarcerated either.

“If you ask me, people like you are a hazard to the society. You should be locked up, instead of being handed everything on a silver platter”, Sebastian continued.

Gabriel didn’t know what Sebastian meant by ‘people like him’, but he didn’t dare to ask.

“Are you even listening to me, Gabriel?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes, sir”, Gabriel answered meekly. He had to remind himself that he  _ needed _ his job. Silently, he was cursing the predicament he was in — he needed a job to make money for his own basic needs, even if said job was torture and his boss a massive prick.

“Good”, Sebastian said. “I’m keeping my eye on you. Now get back to work.”

Finally, his boss left with a huff. Gabriel felt tension seeping out of his shoulders and he managed to breathe more easily. He rubbed his face, then focused his attention back on the shelf in front of him.

He didn’t think of Aziraphale again until after his shift was over.

—

His bad mood continued for a few days, but thankfully he managed to do his job adequately. Sebastian was still breathing down his neck, and that basically killed any and all thoughts of Aziraphale — which was good, because now he could actually focus on his work.

If any of his coworkers noticed his general bad mood and Sebastian being out to get him, they didn’t say anything about it, which worked well for everyone involved. Gabriel was not in the mood to talk about his problems to anyone — except maybe to Dr. Smith, but his weekly therapy session was postponed since she away on the continent.

But when he was alone in his flat, he only had his thoughts for company — his traitorous, traitorous thoughts, which involved him doing something horrible to Crowley. The scene of Aziraphale kissing Crowley kept plaguing his mind, just as much as his own kiss with Aziraphale. It was confusing and he couldn’t make sense of it.

Why did Aziraphale kiss him if he was with Crowley? Was he playing with Gabriel’s feelings? Gabriel knew that Aziraphale had the capacity to do bad things and make bad decisions, despite being an angel. Heavens, even Gabriel himself had that capacity.

The stress of it all made Gabriel snappy even several days later. Oh heavens, he was trying really hard not to snap at his coworkers, but still he yelled at one of the store clerks. He felt awful afterwards, but the damage had already been done. He caught her sobbing in the locker room, and Gabriel’s guilt intensified. Still, he swallowed his pride and apologized to her.

He should have a better reign on his emotions, but it was hard. All he wanted to do was make everyone around him miserable, just like him. It was irrational and confusing, and sometimes when the urge was too great to ignore, he was half-tempted to bang his head against the nearest flat surface just to make the feeling go away.

Sebastian came to him the day after he snapped at one of the cashier. It was the fifth time in the span of a week, but this time he actually had a valid complaint. Gabriel had no reason to snap at that cashier — she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“If you can’t do your goddamn job, you’d better leave!” Sebastian spat, his face purple from barely concealed rage.

“You know what, you’re absolutely right”, Gabriel said, hating the fact that the piece of shit was actually right for once. “I quit.”

“Wait— what?” Sebastian looked taken aback.

“I just— I can’t do this anymore”, Gabriel rubbed his face. “So many things are happening. I can’t— I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“You can’t be serious!” Sebastian cried out. “Who’s gonna replace you if you quit?”

“I thought you’d be happy to finally get rid of me. Make up your goddamn mind already, you absolute prick!” Gabriel shouted in return, before he could rein himself back. “Just, ugh.”

Without another word, Gabriel took off his apron and threw it at Sebastian’s face, before marching to the locker room. He grabbed his things out of his locker, put on his overcoat, and left the store — all in the span of five minutes.

Once Gabriel was out of the store, it felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

It felt almost like freedom.

—

Once the initial relief passed, dread quickly settled in Gabriel’s chest like something heavy and ugly. He had some savings, probably enough for the next two months. But after that, he wouldn’t be able to buy food or pay his rent.

After dread, panic began to settle in. What would he do if he couldn’t buy food or pay for his rent? He would be homeless, or worse, dead. He didn’t want either of those possibilities to befall him, and he only had two months to figure it out.

Or not. He could still go back to the House of St. Barnabas — the people there had made it perfectly clear that he would be welcome to come anytime. Still, it filled him with shame to still need their help, after all that they’d done for him.

Gabriel was determined, however, to try and find a job without help first. Humans did it all the time, so surely it couldn’t be that hard? He searched on the internet from his phone and found a couple that looked interesting. However, he quickly realized that most of them required a minimum of two years of experience or a degree, both of which he didn’t have.

It seemed that humans placed a lot of importance on educational degrees, and Gabriel had no idea how to get them. After a quick burst of research, it turned out that it took years to get one. Years that Gabriel didn’t currently have.

All the research made his head spin and he wanted to tear his hair out from frustration and perhaps also regret. Why had he so quickly let go of his job? Why couldn’t he have just endured whatever horribleness Sebastian threw at him? It wasn’t that bad... he was just being whiny about it.

Fuming, Gabriel roamed through the streets. He kept his eyes on his surroundings, hoping that one of the stores he passed was in need of an additional hand. 

He stopped at an intersection, waiting for the red light, when someone bumped into him from behind. It caused him to fall forward and onto the road, right in front of the oncoming traffic.

As a car sped towards him, Gabriel felt like he was frozen in place. Everything seemed to slow down, then, and he shut his eyes as he waited for the impact.


	8. Chapter 8

Time seemed to slow as Gabriel braced for impact. But after a few harrowing seconds the car still hadn’t hit him yet and he opened his eyes to see that the world around him was at a complete standstill.

“Huh…?” was all he could muster.

“Are you going to stand up now or what?” Crowley’s voice came from behind him. Gabriel climbed to his feet, brushing his clothes off, and turned to see Crowley standing at the front of the crowd. He had one hand on his hip and his brow raised.

“Crowley— I—” Gabriel didn’t know what to say. He was grateful that Crowley had saved his life, but he didn’t know why Crowley was there in the first place. His timing was too impeccable, and Gabriel suspected something other than chance was at a play. “Are you stalking me again?”

“You think?” Crowley tilted his head in a way that said ‘Of course, you absolute moron’.

“Oh…” Gabriel said. “Thank you, I guess.”

“Don’t mention it”, Crowley said. “Really, don’t mention it. Now let’s get out of here, shall we?” 

Crowley walked away from the junctions, and Gabriel, as if on an impulse, followed him. When Crowley snapped his fingers, time suddenly moved once again; people began to walk and cars passed by as if nothing had happened. Gabriel stared at the world around him, mesmerized.

“You can stop time”, Gabriel said. It was not a question.

“I can”, Crowley said.

“But, how? The only ones who can stop time are— are Archangels”, Gabriel continued. “Crowley, are you—”

“Let’s not dwell in the past, okay?” Crowley interrupted him. “I Fell, and now I’m a demon called Crowley. I still have some of my powers, but I rarely use them.”

Gabriel wracked his memory to remember if there was an Archangel who had Fallen, but couldn’t think of one. But Michael had told him that Raphael had been slain in the war. He and the other Archangels had grieved for him just like they grieved for the other casualties. 

But surely Crowley wasn’t him…?

However, Crowley was right. He’d Fallen and whoever he was before didn’t matter. All that mattered was that now he was a demon named Crowley — a particularly odd demon, with a penchant for kindness that baffled Gabriel at times. Unlike other demons, he still retained his goodness.

And it made it harder for Gabriel to hate him, damn it.

“What were you thinking, wandering around and hopping in front of traffic? Do you have a death wish? Because you just got fired?” Crowley scolded him.

“It wasn’t my intention to jump in front of the traffic”, Gabriel said defensively as a familiar anger rose inside his chest. “And I didn’t get fired, I quit. You probably know that, since you’ve been stalking me.”

“Eh, details”, Crowley waved his hand carelessly, and the anger in Gabriel’s chest burned just a little bit brighter.

“I wish you and Aziraphale would stop stalking me. I don’t need you protecting me at every turn”, he said.

“What, and leave you to fend for yourself?” Crowley asked harshly. “Because that clearly worked so well just now. What do you think would have happened if I wasn’t stalking you?”

Gabriel groaned and rubbed his face. He was so tired, so exhausted. He was about to leave so he could sulk in the privacy of his home, when the demon called out to him.

“Come out with me”, Crowley said.

Gabriel stared at Crowley for three full seconds.

“Are you daft?” he shot back.

“Maybe”, Crowley shrugged. “You’re clearly distraught and we’re both free, so why not? I can take you anywhere you want.”

Gabriel paused. He was still mad at Crowley, but there was an odd expression on Crowley’s face that Gabriel couldn’t quite understand, and it made his anger not quite as intense. There was something like longing, somewhat — it was like looking at the mirror and seeing himself when he was thinking about Aziraphale.

Gabriel mussed his hair, and then looked Crowley in the face again.

“Fine”, he answered, eventually. “Let’s go somewhere.”

—

They ended up going to the planetarium.

Gabriel didn’t know why Crowley chose a planetarium, specifically, but he didn’t dare to ask. Perhaps Crowley was missing the stars — if he used to be Raphael, one of those who’d helped create the stars along with Gabriel himself, the images of the universe probably felt like home. Or perhaps he was overthinking it, and Crowley simply liked it because it was quiet. Well, quiet-ish.

Gabriel missed the stars himself. It had been literal millennia since he stopped working to just look at the cosmos, to simply admire its beauty. Her creation was so vast and so sublime in such a way that it made Gabriel feel full of emotions that he couldn’t name. It made Gabriel wonder why he had stopped admiring it — why all of the heavenly host had stopped admiring it. Perhaps if they took some time to admire the cosmos, Heaven wouldn’t be so cold and sterile, because they would be reminded of how small they were in the grand scheme of things.

The cosmos had always been a topic of interest to the humans, but only very recently had they begun to understand some of its nature, thanks to the recent advancement in technology. But they had barely scratched the surface and Gabriel felt… something like sadness, that he wouldn’t be around to see the future generations exploring it. There was something like relief too — because the Apocalypse hadn’t happened, they would be able to explore it. Hopefully.

The planetarium had been educational, and Gabriel enjoyed it very much as he marveled at the projection of how humans imagined the cosmos. They were rather close to the real thing, in Gabriel’s opinion, and the ache in Gabriel’s chest grew — he would not be able to see them up close anymore, and the thought… hurt, he found. He had helped to create them, and they would outlast him by millions of years.

Once the show was done, the two of them walked out. Lining the walls were the renditions of the stars, and one in particular made Gabriel pause.

It was the image of the trinary star system known as Alpha Centauri, and Gabriel recognized it. He couldn’t help but see the irony of his situation. Crowley and Aziraphale were Alpha Centauri A and B, orbiting each other in an eternal dance. Meanwhile, Gabriel himself was Proxima Centauri, sitting away from them and orbiting them, unable to resist their gravitational pull.

“I wanted to take Aziraphale there, when the Apocalypse nearly happened”, Crowley pointed at the star system. “He refused, of course. Later he explained to me that he loves humanity more than anything, that the prospect of leaving them was too daunting.”

“Hmm”, Gabriel hummed.

“Something on your mind?” Crowley asked.

“Um”, Gabriel said smartly.

“You’ve been avoiding us, me and Aziraphale”, Crowley said. “Is it because of the—”

“You don’t need me”, Gabriel returned before he could stop himself. He turned his gaze from the image of Alpha Centauri to Crowley. “You and Aziraphale, you two are… a pair of binary stars. And I’m just a third star orbiting you both.”

“What’s with the poetry?” Crowley asked, chuckling.

“Shut up.” Gabriel blushed.

“I think you’re wrong with the metaphor, though”, Crowley said. “We’re not Alpha Centauri, the three of us, but Polaris.”

Gabriel turned to Crowley, blinking confusedly.

“The Polaris system; a yellow supergiant known as Polaris Aa and its smaller companions, Polaris Ab and Polaris B”, Crowley explained. “Because that’s how it is, right? We are Polaris Ab and Polaris B, orbiting Polaris Aa.”

“Aziraphale…” Gabriel said with a sigh.

“Yeah”, Crowley returned the sigh. 

Silence grew between them as they walked out of the planetarium. They stopped outside of it, and Crowley turned to face him.

“You see, Aziraphale and I have been discussing… things”, he said. “Namely, the arrangement we have. And, you see, we agreed to let you in. With us.”

“Let me in…?” Gabriel repeated, confused.

“We want you”, Crowley said. “In our relationship.”

“I— I don’t understand”, Gabriel returned. “I thought you two were… what’s the word, partners?”

“Yeah, but we agreed to include you too”, Crowley explained. “Aziraphale… I shouldn’t be the one to say this… but well, he likes you. He wants to be with you. I think he will be happy, well,  _ happier _ if he’s with you. And who am I to deny him that?”

“And you’re… alright with that?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah, it’s cool”, Crowley answered with a shrug. “Actually, I’m interested in you too. But I guess we need to get to know each other better first, don’t you think?”

Gabriel nodded slightly. “I barely know you…”

“Do you? Want to know me, I mean?” Crowley asked.

“I… I don’t know”, Gabriel answered. He didn’t know what to say. “This is all… so sudden.”

“Take your time”, Crowley told him. “We’ll wait for you, until you’re ready.”

Gabriel thought he could work with that.

—

When they met again the next day, Crowley didn’t bring it up. He didn’t even make any mention of yesterday’s events. Perhaps he was telling the truth, that he was waiting for Gabriel to be ready, which was such a relief because Gabriel still had a lot of things on his mind.

He still needed to find a new job, but he figured it would be alright to put that off for a day, so he could go out with Crowley. He wanted to know Crowley better, after all. It would be alright to take a day off just to sit back and relax… right?

The cafe they visited was cozy, but it was not the focus of Gabriel’s attention. No, rather, he was preoccupied with watching Crowley eat.

Crowley ate differently than Aziraphale did — he ate like he was in a rush. He didn’t savor it the way Aziraphale did, preferring to eat by the mouthful, but even so Gabriel could tell that he enjoyed his meal.

“I’ve never seen you eat before”, he said, after Crowley had polished off a plate of strawberry cheesecake.

“I eat”, Crowley said as he leaned over to try and steal a forkful of cake from Gabriel’s plate.

“Not in front of me before, you haven’t”, Gabriel returned, batting Crowley’s fork away with his own.

Eventually, Crowley gave up trying to steal from his plate and placed his fork over his own empty plate. He laced his fingers together and placed his chin on the back of his hands as he stared at Gabriel. His expression was neutral, and Gabriel couldn’t tell what was on his mind at all. Sometimes, Gabriel wished Crowley would take his glasses off so that he could read him better, but he also knew that Crowley’s eyes would probably freak people out.

“Your eyes”, Crowley said all of the sudden. “They’re still grey, huh?”

“They are”, Gabriel returned with a sigh. For the first few days of being human, he had stared at his reflection in the mirror, at the odd grey color of his eyes. He’d had those purple eyes since the dawn of time — and their absence was… unsettling, if he wanted to be honest. 

If he was being vain about it, he would have called his purple eyes the most beautiful thing about his corporeal form. And oh he was vain, alright. He knew that his corporeal form was rather striking compared to the other angels. That hadn’t changed now that he was a human, even though his dull grey eyes were rather, well… dull.

“Wait”, Gabriel paused his train of thought. He’d just realized something. Something that wasn’t quite right. “How did you know what color my eyes were?”

Crowley stiffened.

“Have we… met before? Back before you Fell? Do you still have some memories from back then?” Gabriel asked, because he couldn’t remember meeting Crowley back when he was still an angel. 

“Well, I saw you back in the airbase, during the Almost-Apocalypse”, Crowley answered, before sipping at his hot cocoa. “Your eyes were rather striking, it was hard to forget.”

“Oh, right… I forgot about that”, Gabriel returned. Huh, Crowley had to be rather observant, then. Gabriel hadn’t even noticed Crowley’s physical appearance, too busy being upset about the Apocalypse that failed to happen and stressed about the prospect of having to tell ten million angels that the war would never happen. It had been a stressful day.

Then, he realized something else.

“Were you…  _ interested _ in me even then?” Gabriel asked in disbelief.

“What? No!” Crowley leaned away from him. “I just thought your eyes were weird. Like a weird color. It was a completely objective observation.”

“You said my eyes were  _ striking _ ”, Gabriel teased, a huge grin on his face.

“Oh shut up, you.” Red blushes began to spread across Crowley’s face. “Alright, I give in. I thought ‘Who’s that handsome fella?’ for a moment, but then it turned out you were a huge tool with a massive stick up your arse.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me”, Gabriel grumbled as he stabbed his red velvet cake with his fork.

“Wait, you’re not… mad?” Crowley asked. “I just called you a tool.”

“Why would I be?” Gabriel asked back. “You were right, I was an asshole back then. Even I know that now.”

“Well… good, I mean, that you’ve changed”, Crowley said. “Still, you’ve got that anger issue to work on though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gabriel let out a sigh, before taking the last bite of his cake. 

“But you see, I am proud though, to see you standing up for yourself against that bastard boss of yours”, Crowley said. “It was pretty fun to see his flabbergasted face when you threw that apron at him.”

“Wait”, Gabriel stiffened. “That wasn’t your influence, was it?”

“I might have… given you the littlest nudge? It was mostly you, though, don’t you worry”, Crowley returned, and Gabriel felt something like relief. “I’d rather have my target of temptation choose their own fate, you know? Free will and all. Even back in Eden, I only gave Eve the option to choose between knowledge and obedience.”

“You’re very strange for a demon, you know that?” Gabriel said.

“Thanks, I know”, Crowley returned with a pleased grin. “So, what do you want to eat next? I’m feeling rather peckish — oh, and don’t you dare tell Aziraphale I used that word.”

“Of course”, Gabriel said, making a mental note to mention it to Aziraphale when they met again, because it would be hilarious to see Crowley’s expression. “I’m having a sudden craving for something meaty, actually.”

“Something meaty”, Crowley repeated with a snort. “I know just the place.”

“Lead on, then”, Gabriel said.

That was how they ended up having a culinary tour around London. As someone who had been living there for literal centuries and befriending a food connoisseur for millennia, Crowley knew every best spot to take a nibble. Some of these spots were well-hidden, and Gabriel wouldn’t have known them without Crowley showing them to him.

After the steak, which was downright thick and juicy, they went for some street snacks. The taco he tried was nothing he’d ever tasted before, and the kebab was fresh and tasty. Gabriel felt like he was in food heaven.

“Still have some room for some dessert?” Crowley asked after they were done with some Indonesian satay. They were covered in peanut sauce that was the perfect combination between sweet and savory.

“What do you have in mind?” Gabriel asked.

“I know this place with the best coffee flavored gelato”, Crowley answered.

“Did you say coffee?” Gabriel perked up.

“You like coffee?” Crowley asked.

“Are you kidding? I would inject it into my bloodstream if I could”, Gabriel returned, making Crowley laugh.

Gabriel found he rather liked Crowley’s laugh.

“Alright then, gelato place it is.”


	9. Chapter 9

A few days since meeting with Crowley, Gabriel was still looking for a job. Unfortunately, he’d had very little success. Most employment opportunities he found asked for qualifications or experience, neither of which he had. It was frustrating and very annoying.

Currently, he was sitting on a park bench after yet another failed attempt at finding a job. The more he got rejected, the angrier he got with his current situation. If only he had stayed at his old job, he wouldn’t be in this situation. If only he had kept his emotions in check, if only he had kept his mouth shut and his head down throughout whatever his boss threw at him, he wouldn’t be on the verge of a mental breakdown as he tried to find a new job.

But it had all happened, and he had no one to blame but himself. Damn his stupid anger issues. Why did he even have them? Oh, right… it was all thanks to him being cast out from Heaven.

Gabriel jolted in surprise when he felt someone patting his shoulder, breaking him out of his musings. He turned and saw Crowley standing behind the bench, a large smile on his face. Gabriel scooted over, allowing Crowley to plop himself down next to him.

“So, why are you so glum?” Crowley asked.

“I still can’t find a job”, Gabriel answered with a sigh. “I know it’s not a concern for you, but I’ll lose my house if I can’t find a job.”

“You know that I can just miracle up a job opening for you like Aziraphale did, right?” Crowley asked.

Gabriel paused at that. Was he desperate enough to accept the Crowley’s help? More importantly, wasn’t there some kind of payback if he accepted a demon’s offer? Like a tarnish on his soul or something like it. After all, demons didn’t usually help humans, but Crowley was… well, different than other demons.

“I know what you’re thinking”, Crowley said suddenly. “I don’t need your soul or anything, I just thought I’d help. That’s what friends do, right? We help each other out.”

“Still…” Gabriel sighed. “I feel like I should be doing it the human way.” 

However, he couldn’t deny that the prospect of Crowley or Aziraphale helping him was way too tempting to ignore. With their help, he could easily find a job that just miraculously happened to open.

“Well, let me know if you change your mind”, Crowley said eventually, and Gabriel was grateful that he hadn’t pressured him.

“Thank you, I will”, Gabriel returned.

“So, what do you wanna do today? Can I tempt you to lunch?” Crowley asked. “C’mon, forget about job hunting for a bit. I know a spot that you’ll absolutely like.”

“Tempt me?” Gabriel snorted, but he hesitated for a bit. He really needed to find a job, but the prospect of spending the day with Crowley sounded so much better than wandering around aimlessly. 

He sighed. 

“Well… I suppose, I’ve been looking for a job all day”, he said eventually. “I could use a break. Plus, it is almost lunch hour.”

“That a yes, I take it?” Crowley asked.

“Yes, it is”, Gabriel answered.

“Alright, let’s go”, Crowley said as he stood up from the bench, and they headed to where Crowley had parked his Bentley.

—

Lunch with Crowley was nice, as it always did. They had Italian, which Gabriel enjoyed very much. He had ordered lasagna, with thick creamy sauce and beef bolognese filling, and some onion rings.

“I noticed that you’re not as concerned about the food you eat these days”, Crowley said.

Gabriel winced. “Aziraphale told you about that?” 

“He said you’re concerned about your health”, Crowley said. “And obviously, I can’t relate to that, being an immortal being and all, but don’t you think that life is too short to not enjoy the many pleasures of life?”

“Yeah, I kind of get that”, Gabriel returned. “It’s just… this is very hard for me. There’s no manual, no single correct way to do this. There are so many options, so many possibilities.”

“That’s how it is being a human, I guess”, Crowley said. “It’s always about choices and decisions. It always has been since the beginning of time.”

“I know. You told me about Eden”, Gabriel said, before taking a bite of his lasagna. “Before I became a human, I had no idea that life could be so…”

“So…?” Crowley asked.

“I don’t know, I just had no idea that it was so hard. For them. Us, I mean. The humans”, Gabriel answered. “I used to look down on humanity, thinking they were beneath me. Well, I know better now.”

“Yeah?” Crowley said.

“Humanity is resilient. It changed you and Aziraphale, didn’t it? It sure did change me”, Gabriel returned. 

“It did”, Crowley said. “Try spending six thousand years here and see if it won’t change you.”

“It’s just… there are so many things to do, so many things to see”, Gabriel said. “So many experiences to be explored. So many possibilities. How am I going to experience them all?”

“You can’t”, Crowley returned. “You just have to make the most of yourself.”

Gabriel took another bite of his lasagna and chewed, as he considered Crowley’s words. Perhaps Crowley was right. Perhaps, that was how it was being a human. He just had to make the most of his life, no matter what.

“You know what, enough doom and gloom. I know what’s going to cheer you up”, Crowley said suddenly.

“Really?” Gabriel tilted his head questioningly. He was only a little bit surprised with the sudden change of topic, but talking with Crowley always felt like this, always hopping from one topic to another. He just didn’t know what he would say next.

“There’s this place, the aquarium, where you can see sea animals”, Crowley said. “You haven’t seen any wild animals yet, have you?”

“I can’t say I have”, Gabriel answered. “I’m not sure that I’ll like it, though. I mean, they’re just… animals.”

“Believe me, you’ll like it”, Crowley said with such confidence that made Gabriel couldn’t help but believe him too.

“Alright, then”, Gabriel eventually agreed. “Let’s go to this… aquarium.”

—

Gabriel had never been to an aquarium before. Actually, he’d never been to any tourist attraction before, save for the planetarium. It wasn’t like he’d had a lot of free time before. Working in retail meant he had to go to work six days a week either on Monday or Tuesday. It was one of the reasons he wanted something less time-demanding, like working at an office or something similar. He could get the weekend off, then.

But point was, Gabriel had never been to an aquarium before, so he didn’t know what to expect. When Crowley talked seeing marine animals, he’d expected to go to the sea and stare at the water or something. The mental image was rather silly, but he didn’t tell Crowley about his doubts.

But instead, Crowley took him to a building somewhere close to the river. Once they were inside the building, Gabriel found out what an aquarium really was.

Some kind of sea animals — Gabriel recognized them as sharks — were swimming below a transparent walkway. They were large, and they followed Gabriel as he and Crowley made their way across the walkway.

“Did you know that sharks eat people?” Crowley said with a teasing smirk. “They feed these sharks with prisoners on death row.”

“No way!” Gabriel cried, before nervously looking down to his feet where a shark was bumping its snout to the glass. “… The glass won’t break, will it?”

“I’m just messing with you”, Crowley reassured, laughing. “Come on.”

“Seriously, though. What do they eat?” Gabriel asked as they continued walking. He couldn’t help but be curious. He only knew the names of various animals from the basic introduction to Earth he’d read millennia ago, so his knowledge about Earth’s animals was dubious at best. Thankfully, there were various plaques along the walkway that explained each different species of shark.

Gabriel hadn’t had any idea there were so many different species of shark.

“I dunno”, Crowley said with a shrug. “Seals, probably. But in a place like this, they probably feed them chickens or something. Not human, though.”

“Well, that’s good to know”, Gabriel was thoroughly reassured now, and as he looked at the shark that was still following him, he couldn’t help but think that it looked quite cute. “His face is so dumb. What kind of shark is he?”

“Probably a tiger shark. See the stripes on him? They look like tiger stripes, aren’t they?” Crowley pointed.

“Tigers are tigers, sharks are sharks. Why do the two have to be combined into one?” Gabriel asked.

“I dunno. Why don’t you ask Her that?” Crowley returned. Gabriel felt his stomach drop, and his face had to be showing something, because Crowley then looked positively chastised. “Sorry. That was out of line.”

“It’s fine”, Gabriel said as he tried to focus his attention back on the shark under his feet.

“No, it’s not fine. You have tons of issues. I do too. I should’ve known better than to bring it up”, Crowley said.

Gabriel turned to Crowley and gave him what he hoped was reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Crowley. I’m not made of glass. I can handle a joke or two about Her.”

“Well, if you say so…” Crowley said, mussing his own hair, before pointing to a different shark at the bottom of the tank. “Oh! That one’s a Lesser Spotted Dogfish, according to this plaque.”

“Dogfish?” Gabriel laughed. “It doesn’t even  _ look  _ like a dog.”

“I don’t know! That’s what the plaque says”, Crowley returned. “Besides, you can’t judge it from its looks. Maybe it acts like a dog or something.”

An image of someone walking a shark like a dog popped in Gabriel’s mind. He snorted.

“You just imagined some random person walking a shark like a dog, didn’t you?” Crowley asked.

“Stop poking inside my head, you demon”, Gabriel chided.

“I don’t even need to use my demonic powers on you, but you’re just so… predictable”, Crowley said, raising his hands in surrendering gesture.

“That’s a nice way to say how uncreative I am”, Gabriel returned.

“I don’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities”, Crowley said with a smirk.

They exited the walkway into an area with a glass wall separating the hall from a massive tank where various sea animals lived. When Gabriel walked closer to the glass, some of the fishes swam closer until they gathered in front of him.

“Aww, they like you”, Crowley cooed.

“I guess…?” Gabriel said confusedly. “But I don’t see why they would…”

“Water is your element, isn’t it? Maybe they’re drawn to you”, Crowley said.

“But… I don’t have my powers anymore?” Gabriel said, turning towards Crowley.

“I don’t know, honestly. Maybe it’s your aura or something, something that’s innate to you and can’t be taken away”, Crowley said.

That… somewhat made sense. If some of Crowley’s powers stayed with him even after the Fall, then perhaps he could still have some of his innate abilities after being turned into a human.

Perhaps he needed to test them further.

Gabriel walked three steps to the right, and the fish swam to follow him. Walking five steps to the right, the fish were still following him. A smile grew on his face as he walked around in front of the glass and more fish followed him around. By the time he was done, he had a sizable amount of fish in front of him.

“Wow, you’re like Aquaman or something!” a boy he didn’t know gasped in awe.

“Aquaman?” Gabriel turned toward the boy and asked, confused.

“He’s a superhero who can talk to fish”, the boy explained, but not enough. Gabriel was still confused. “Can you talk to fish too?”

“Pretty sure I can’t”, Gabriel answered. Was there another human who used to be an Archangel? And apparently he could talk to fish? Why couldn’t Gabriel talk to fish too?

“Lame”, the kid said, before walking away.

“Just ignore him”, Crowley said. “Come on, let’s see what they have next.”

They headed to the next zone. This one had a shallow tank with stingrays in it — at least, that was what the plaque said.

“These are… fish?” Gabriel asked. They didn’t look like fish he knew. They didn’t even look like sharks, even though according to the plaque, sharks and stingrays were evolved from the same group — something that even Gabriel knew wasn’t true. Evolution theory was not real and prehistoric fossils were a joke that humans didn’t quite get yet.

“Apparently”, Crowley answered. “There was this wildlife expert who died after getting stung by one of these, so don’t go poking your hand into the enclosure or anything.”

“They sting?!” Gabriel backed away in fear immediately.

Sure, there was a divider between him and the rays, but he almost expected them to jump at him or something. Especially as the rays came over towards him and followed him around, just like in previous zone — it was absolutely bizarre. 

“I’m just messing with you. These ones probably don’t have stingers”, Crowley said, chuckling. “Hey, I got you twice in a row, now! You need to stop falling for whatever I say.”

“Shut up”, Gabriel felt his cheeks heating up, arms crossing in front of his chest. True, he couldn’t tell when Crowley was lying or telling the truth, so he supposed from now on he would stop taking whatever Crowley said at face value.

“Come on, don’t be like that”, Crowley said. “I’ll make up to you. Forget the aquarium, I’ll take you wherever you want next.”

Gabriel stared at Crowley for a long moment, before sighing.

“I actually want to see what else they have here”, he said. “But you need to stop making up random fake facts about people dying. It’s not funny.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t lie to you about dead people anymore”, Crowley returned, raising his hands. “I didn’t lie about the wildlife expert though. You can fact check it on the internet. His name was Steve Irwin.”

Gabriel huffed, before making a mental note to check later.

They continued to walk into a tunnel, which showed more sea animals swimming around. Some of them seemed to sense his presence and began to follow him.

The more he thought about the fishes, the more amazed he was by how complicated life on Earth was. There were just so many species in this building alone, each so similar yet so different from one another. And then it occurred to him that the Almighty had created them all — every fish, every coral, and more. All of them were created by Her to fill the Earth. And for what?

“ _ And the earth, He has assigned it to all living creatures _ ”, Gabriel said, remembering a certain verse that was burned into his mind since the day he was assigned to deliver it, fourteen centuries ago.

“Hm?” Crowley asked.

“Qur’an Surah Ar-Rahman 55:10”, Gabriel said. “I don’t know… It just suddenly popped into my mind.”

“Getting sentimental, are you?” Crowley teased. 

“A bit”, Gabriel said with a shrug. “Just… She created this Earth not only for humans, but also for the animals that live in it. Their lives are as precious as any human’s.”

“True. But also consider:  _ Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. _ ”, Crowley returned. “The lives of animals shouldn’t be placed equal to or above human lives.”

“Genesis 9:3. I know, I delivered that”, Gabriel said. “There should be a compromise between the two.”

“Hmm”, Crowley hummed thoughtfully.

“Something on your mind?” Gabriel asked.

“Nothing. Just…” Crowley paused and sighed. “If every humans was like you, we probably won’t be facing a sudden mass-extinction of this scale.”

“Wait”, Gabriel paused. “What mass-extinction?”

“Oh boy”, Crowley said. He sounded like he was regretting his words.

As they walked through the zones, Crowley explained about the extinction of various species on Earth, and that the aquarium was only one way to prevent it by preserving rare and endangered animals. Gabriel’s curiosity then morphed into horror, then desperation as he realized that there was nothing he could, as a single human, do to stop it.

“But there are organizations to save animals and stuff, I guess, so it’s not all hopeless. As far as I know, there are several species being taken off of the endangered list already”, Crowley said as he ended his explanation.

“You’re very knowledgeable about this”, Gabriel said.

“Uh— Wh— Shut up!” Crowley spluttered, and Gabriel didn’t know why. “It’s job-related, I’ll have you know. Tempting humans to continue destroy their planet and the animals, that sort of stuff.”

“Uh huh”, Gabriel said, unconvinced. “It sounds like it’s not working well, then, if many species are being taken off the endangered list.”

“Well, I don’t work for Hell anymore, so it’s not like it’s any of my business”, Crowley said with a huff.

“Sure”, Gabriel said with a smirk.

“It’s really not”, Crowley snapped.

“Alright, alright”, Gabriel said finally, raising his hands. “Look, since you don’t work for Hell anymore, that means you don’t have to keep up appearances, right? You can care about endangered animals all you want, and it’s not like it’s anyone’s business.”

“I’m still a demon, you human”, Crowley shot back. “I don’t care for animals, endangered or not.”

“A demon who can’t even find one single worse insult other than ‘human’, yeah sure”, Gabriel snorted.

Crowley then shoved his hands in his pockets and huffed, clearly annoyed. His childish reaction made Gabriel chuckle as he followed Crowley to the last zone.

The last zone was not what Gabriel had expected. It was darker here, but multicolored lights pulsated in the low light from the tank. It took Gabriel a moment to realize that the multicolored lights inside the tank were, in fact, jellyfish.

Lights being set up in the tank to make them appear to be changing colors, from blue to purple, then to red and green, before back again to blue. They swam lazily towards him, their frilly heads expanding and closing. It was so hypnotizing and mesmerizing.

Gabriel found he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

“I can’t believe such creature exist” Gabriel said, as he stared at the jellyfishes. “They’re so beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Ngk”, was all Crowley’s response.

Gabriel turned to face him, feeling concerned. “Crowley? Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah”, Crowley answered. “Peachy keen.”

As they walked out of the aquarium, Gabriel still felt like he was floating. It felt like he had just walked out from another plane of reality. His head was still full of wonders, and his heart actually felt lighter than it had for days. As he got into the Bentley, he knew he would never forget this experience.

“Thanks… um, for bringing me here”, Gabriel told Crowley, smiling.

“Ugh, shut up”, Crowley returned, mussing his own hair, before he began to drive.

But even Gabriel could see, in the afternoon light, how red Crowley’s face was.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> please visit [my tumblr](https://ineffable--soulmates.tumblr.com) to yell about these dumbasses


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